Brad Pitt Wins Key Legal Ruling: Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are once again at the center of their years-long legal dispute over the French winery Château Miraval. In the latest courtroom development, Pitt has secured a significant procedural victory after a California court ordered key members of the Stoli Group, the company that acquired Jolie’s stake in the estate to provide testimony under oath. The ruling marks another important step in one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal battles.
California Court Orders Key Witness Testimony
According to court documents that are cited by multiple U.S. media outlets, the Superior Court of California, granted Pitt’s request to compel depositions from executives associated with the Stoli Group. These individuals are expected to testify in London before September 30, 2026, about the 2021 transaction in which Jolie sold her interest in Château Miraval.
The Stoli Group, Pitt’s team argued, “has been the subject of repeated boycotts in connection with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and homophobic legislative Agenda.” The actor’s legal team alleged at the time that Jolie’s sale “jeopardizes the reputation of the business that Pitt so carefully built.”
Pitt’s legal team has argued that these witnesses hold crucial information about how the deal was negotiated and then basically finalized. The actor says Jolie breached an agreement that required both parties to approve any transfer of their ownership interests in the winery before anything could proceed and happen.
The dispute centers on Château Miraval, a luxury vineyard and wine estate in southern France that Pitt and Jolie purchased together during their relationship. The property later became widely known internationally for its award-winning rosé wines, and it’s estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Brad Pitt Wins Key Legal Ruling
After the couple separated, Jolie sold her share of the winery in 2021 to the wine division of the Stoli Group. Pitt then filed a lawsuit, alleging that the sale violated their earlier understanding that neither party would transfer control of their ownership interests without the other’s consent.
Pitt’s attorneys say the transaction gave partial control of the winery to entities he never intended to partner with, and they argue that testimony from Stoli executives is essential for showing how the sale really unfolded. The legal team has also sought testimony from Stoli owner Yuri Shefler, with a separate hearing on that issue reportedly set for July.
Jolie’s representatives, however, have maintained that the latest ruling is procedural and it does not decide the merits of the lawsuit.
What Happens Next?
The compelled depositions are expected to take place before the court-imposed deadline later this year. The testimony could play an important role in determining whether the sale complied with any contractual obligations between Pitt and Jolie.
Unless the parties reach a settlement beforehand, the Château Miraval lawsuit is currently expected to proceed toward trial in 2027, where a court will decide the underlying ownership and contractual issues.
