Brad Pitt has scored a major legal victory in his long-running courtroom battle with Angelina Jolie, as a California judge ordered the actress to turn over a set of previously hidden text messages and emails tied to their explosive Château Miraval dispute.
In a ruling that could significantly shift the case, the judge instructed Jolie to hand over 22 undisclosed documents within 45 days. The materials reportedly include private texts and emails that Pitt’s legal team believes could undermine Jolie’s narrative surrounding her decision to sell her stake in the French vineyard they once co-owned.
What began as a business disagreement has snowballed into a fierce legal war involving allegations of bad faith, contract breaches, and now, accusations of withholding key evidence. Jolie’s attorneys argued that the documents were protected under non-disclosure agreements and attorney-client privilege, claiming they reflected confidential legal strategy shared with advisers.
The court was not persuaded. The judge ruled that the communications did not qualify as privileged legal advice and instead described them as informal business discussions involving Jolie, her business manager, and non-legal consultants. In siding with Pitt’s legal team, the judge suggested Jolie was improperly using privilege claims to keep potentially critical information out of the case.
Sources close to Pitt say his attorneys believe the messages will show Jolie was not fully forthcoming about her intentions when she sold her stake in the vineyard. In court filings, Pitt’s team accused her of attempting to bury documents central to the dispute, an argument the ruling appears to support.
The conflict dates back to 2008, when Pitt and Jolie purchased Château Miraval together during their marriage. Tensions escalated in 2022 when Jolie sold her 50 percent share to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler for roughly $66 million without offering Pitt the chance to buy it first. Pitt claims they had a binding agreement granting each other the right of first refusal, an arrangement he says Jolie violated by moving forward with the sale.
Now that the court has ordered the release of the messages, Pitt’s team expects the correspondence to shed light on Jolie’s internal discussions, including how her advisers viewed the legal risks and strategized around the sale. Jolie has acknowledged in sworn statements that the documents outline her step-by-step planning, though her lawyers continue to insist they reflect protected legal strategy.
The bitter vineyard dispute is just one chapter in the former couple’s prolonged legal saga, which began after their split in 2016 and included a highly publicized divorce and custody fight. Years later, their battles over property and assets show little sign of cooling.
The case is currently set for trial on February 1, 2027, with court-ordered mediation scheduled for October 28, 2026. Jolie has also been instructed to produce copies of all NDAs she signed between 2014 and 2022. For Pitt, the latest ruling marks a decisive moment, signaling that the court is prepared to force open doors Jolie tried to keep closed.
