Win some, lose some: Inside Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s global courtroom tug-of-war over Miraval

Nearly a decade after their high-profile split, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie remain locked in a gruelling, multi-front legal battle over Château Miraval—the stunning French estate and winery they once shared as a family. Weeks after Jolie celebrated a major victory involving private communications, Pitt secured a significant courtroom win of his own.

While the former Hollywood power couple officially finalised their divorce in late 2024, the courtroom drama surrounding the estate continues to rage on, with both sides trading blows across multiple states.

A breakthrough for Brad Pitt in Michigan

In the latest chapter of the dispute, a Michigan judge ruled in Pitt’s favour regarding a crucial deposition. The issue centres around Todd Culyba, the former General Counsel for the Stoli Group. During a deposition, Culyba was instructed by lawyers not to answer 33 specific questions regarding Jolie’s 2021 sale of her winery stake to Tenute del Mondo (a subsidiary of the Stoli Group).

Pitt’s legal team has been aggressively trying to pull back the curtain on how that sale was orchestrated, specifically looking into the involvement of Yuri Shefler, the billionaire owner behind the Stoli Group. Pitt initially sued Jolie in 2022, claiming she violated a mutual agreement by selling her share without his consent—an agreement Jolie maintains never existed.

The Michigan judge ruled that the attorney-client privilege cannot be used as a shield to avoid answering questions about the purely business aspects of the deal. As a result, Culyba is now headed back to the hot seat for a second deposition to answer those 33 questions, along with any necessary follow-ups.

Angelina Jolie’s California Victory

While Pitt celebrates his win in the Midwest, Jolie recently scored a major defensive victory closer to home. Earlier this month, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge shut down Pitt’s request to access a trove of Jolie's private emails regarding the winery sale, ruling that Pitt’s team failed to provide enough legal justification to pierce the attorney-client privilege.

Jolie’s attorney, Paul Murphy, didn't hold back in his assessment of the ruling, calling it a major win against what he characterised as a pattern of behaviour from Pitt.

"This ruling demonstrates Brad Pitt was completely out of bounds in his efforts to access clearly privileged documents," Murphy stated, noting that Pitt's team initially demanded 126 documents before narrowing it down to 22, and ultimately walking away with none. According to Murphy, the move reflects a consistent pattern of Pitt attempting to exert control over Jolie, even extending to her private communications with her legal counsel.

However, the California judge issued the ruling "without prejudice," meaning the door isn't entirely shut. If Pitt’s team can come up with a different, stronger legal argument, they could try to ask for the emails again.

Pitt’s Growing Divide with the Children

As the legal warfare drags on, the public spotlight has increasingly shifted to the couple’s six children, who appear to be making definitive choices about where they stand.

In the most recent development, the couple's eldest son, Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt, has formally filed legal paperwork to drop "Pitt" from his hyphenated surname, requesting to legally become Maddox Chivan Jolie. Court filings cite personal reasons for the change.

Maddox’s other siblings, too, have distanced themselves from their father's name. Shiloh legally dropped "Pitt" from her last name immediately after turning 18. Zahara publicly introduced herself as "Zahara Marley Jolie" during a university sorority ceremony.

Vivienne was credited simply as "Vivienne Jolie" for her work on the Broadway musical The Outsiders. Maddox had already begun using "Maddox Jolie" professionally while working on his mother's film projects.