It’s been eight years since Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt announced their divorce, but proceedings are still unfolding between the exes.
Jolie and Pitt, who began dating in 2004 after filming Mrs And Mrs Smith and married in 2014, have been embroiled in a court battle for the past two years over their French winery, Château Miraval.
The legal battle has become about far more than a vineyard however, with Jolie alleging the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood star abused her and their children.
In a major update to Jolie’s case, a judge tentatively ruled on November 25, that Pitt must turn over documents and communications that Jolie claims will prove he covered up alleged violence against her and their children.
“After Mr. Pitt fought for years to hide this crucial evidence, he must now produce documents and communications concerning abuse, lies to authorities, and years of cover-up. His actions harmed Angelina and their children and are central to this case,” Jolie’s attorney Paul Murphy told Us Weekly.
“I want to again emphasize that Angelina never wanted any of this. She never pressed charges, she left all their properties, and she is the one who tried to sell him the business in the first place,” Murphy continued. “To this day, Mr. Pitt has never been held accountable for his actions and has at all times controlled Miraval and the winery, yet he still demands more.”
In September of 2016, reports surfaced that the FBI and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services were investigating Pitt for alleged abuse after an incident on the family’s private plane. Brad was cleared of these allegations shortly after.
The allegations of abuse arose again during their 2022 court proceedings after Pitt filed a lawsuit against Jolie claiming she illegally sold her share of their vineyard.
“Pitt and Jolie purchased the château as a home to share with their children and the vineyard as a family business,” the initial court documents read.
“They agreed they would never sell their respective interests in Miraval without the other’s consent. The couple spent the holidays at Miraval with their children and were married there in 2014.”
Jolie then filed court documents claiming Pitt tried to have her sign a non-disclosure agreement relating to “years of abuse”. Following this, the 49-year-old’s legal team asked the court to compel Pitt to disclose “private, third-party communications” pertaining to the 2016 plane incident that ultimately led to the couple’s divorce.
Pitt’s legal team has omitted aforementioned “communications” until now, calling the separate filing asking for his personal communications “wide-ranging and intrusive.”
The case is expected to go to trial, however a date has not yet been set.
