Nearly 10 years after their separation, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie remain entangled in a series of legal disputes connected to Château Miraval, the French winery they once owned together. Although the former Hollywood couple finalised their divorce in late 2024, the fight over the sprawling Provence estate continues to generate fresh courtroom developments across multiple states.
The latest chapter comes after Pitt secured a legal victory involving testimony connected to Jolie’s 2021 sale of her winery stake. The ruling arrives only weeks after Jolie celebrated a significant court win of her own involving confidential emails tied to the same dispute.
Michigan court orders key witness back for deposition
According to court records cited by Page Six, a Michigan judge has ruled in Brad Pitt’s favour on a key issue in the ongoing Château Miraval dispute. The ruling centres on Todd Culyba, the former General Counsel of the Stoli Group, who was questioned during a deposition in December. During the proceedings, Culyba was reportedly instructed not to answer 33 questions related to Angelina Jolie’s 2021 sale of her stake in Château Miraval to Tenute del Mondo, a company linked to the Stoli Group.
Pitt’s lawyers have been trying to better understand how the sale was arranged and what role Yuri Shefler, the owner behind the Stoli Group, may have played in the deal. The judge concluded that attorney-client privilege could not be used to avoid answering questions about the business aspects of the transaction. As a result, Culyba has now been ordered to sit for another deposition and respond to the previously unanswered questions, as well as any relevant follow-up queries.
The legal battle dates back to 2022, when Pitt sued Jolie, claiming she sold her share of the winery without his consent despite an alleged agreement between them. Jolie has repeatedly denied that such an agreement ever existed.
Jolie recently secured a courtroom victory of her own
Earlier this month, Angelina Jolie secured a legal victory in California when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected Brad Pitt’s request for access to a series of private emails related to her sale of Château Miraval. The court found that Pitt had not provided enough legal justification to override attorney-client privilege protections.
In a statement addressing the judgment, Angelina Jolie’s counsel, Paul Murphy, labeled the decision an important victory for his client. He asserted that the ruling demonstrated Brad Pitt was completely out of bounds in his efforts to access clearly privileged documents. Murphy pointed out that while Pitt had initially demanded 126 privileged documents before backtracking to 22, he ultimately walk away with nothing. According to the attorney, the move reflects a consistent pattern of Pitt attempting to exert control over matters relating to Jolie, including her private communications with her own legal team.
Murphy further claimed that Pitt’s team had originally sought a much larger set of documents before narrowing their request, but ultimately walked away without gaining access to any of the emails. That said, the court’s decision was issued without prejudice, meaning Pitt’s legal team could potentially make a similar request again in the future if they present a different legal argument.
Another lawsuit now involves Pitt’s skincare brand
Beyond the ongoing Château Miraval dispute, Brad Pitt is also facing a separate legal challenge connected to his luxury skincare business. According to multiple reports, Malibu-based skincare company Beau D has filed a lawsuit against the actor over the branding of his skincare label, Beau Domaine. The company alleges that the name is too similar to its own identity and claims it creates significant confusion in the marketplace.
The dispute reportedly emerged after Pitt’s vineyard-inspired skincare venture underwent a corporate rebranding from its original name, Le Domaine, to Beau Domaine. Beau D founder Brandon Palas has claimed that settlement discussions took place in good faith before the matter ultimately escalated into formal legal action. The lawsuit is reportedly seeking financial damages exceeding $75,000 alongside an injunction preventing the continued use of the Beau Domaine name entirely.
The spotlight shifts to the couple’s children
Away from the ongoing legal battles, public attention has increasingly focused on the former couple’s children and their growing decision to distance themselves from the Pitt surname.
Recent reports indicate that Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt has formally filed paperwork seeking to legally remove Pitt from his last name and become Maddox Chivan Jolie. Court filings reportedly cite personal reasons for the request.
The move follows a series of similar decisions made by several of his siblings in recent years. Maddox had already been credited publicly as Maddox Jolie while working on Jolie’s film Couture. Meanwhile, Shiloh legally dropped Pitt from her surname after turning 18. Vivienne was credited as Vivienne Jolie in promotional material connected to the Broadway production of The Outsiders, while Zahara introduced herself publicly as Zahara Marley Jolie during a college ceremony.
