Angelina Jolie 'Looking Forward' to Trial with Brad Pitt as Source Says His Legal Win Is 'a Step Towards Transparency' (Exclusive)
Angelina Jolie 'Looking Forward' to Trial with Brad Pitt as Source Says His Legal Win Is 'a Step Towards Transparency' (Exclusive)
Tommy McArdle, Sean MandellFri, June 26, 2026 at 8:34 PM UTC
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Angelina Jolie on Sept. 7, 2025; Brad Pitt on June 16, 2025Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty -
A lawyer for Angelina Jolie tells PEOPLE the actress is looking ahead to her impending civil trial with Brad Pitt, which will resolve the former couple's years-long legal dispute over Château Miraval, the French winery they co-owned
Pitt's legal team recently scored two legal victories to compel legal depositions from those involved with the company Jolie sold her share of the winery to
Pitt first filed a suit against Jolie over the winery in 2022, arguing she defied a prior agreement not to sell her shares without the other person's approval
Angelina Jolie is looking ahead to her upcoming civil trial with Brad Pitt over Château Miraval after Pitt scored a win in their long-running legal battle over the winery.
In a June 17 court filing obtained by PEOPLE, a California Superior Court granted Pitt's motion to compel depositions from members of the Stoli Group, after Pitt's team argued the spirits-and-wine giant had direct knowledge of Jolie's 2021 sale of Château Miraval to Tenute del Mondo, the Stoli Group's wine division.
Pitt sought to depose Stoli executive Alexey Oliynik in June 2025; Jolie's lawyers say Oliynik has refused to turn over documents or appear for a deposition, claiming he cannot be compelled as a Swiss resident.
Brad Pitt; Angelina JolieCredit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
The Stoli Group is run by Russian expatriate billionaire Yuri Shefler, who also lives in Switzerland. In 2023, Pitt sued Jolie, 50, seeking damages over the sale to Shefler's company, alleging the deal involved a “Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate” and risked harming the reputation of the business Pitt had helped build. Pitt's team has also noted boycotts of the Stoli Group tied to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and anti-LGBTQ legislation.
New June filings say depositions of Oliynik and the “persons most qualified” from Tenute del Mondo B.V. and Nouvel LLC — the entity Jolie sold to Tenute del Mondo — must take place in London by Sept. 30.
On June 24, the California Court of Appeal reversed part of a prior decision on Shefler's role in the Miraval sale, finding it “defies credulity” that Shefler would risk nearly $40 million on a transaction in which he had no involvement. A hearing on a motion to compel Shefler's deposition is scheduled for July 8.
A lawyer for Jolie told PEOPLE on June 25 that the rulings “have made no impact on the merits of the case, and certainly has no impact on Ms. Jolie's case,” adding, “At this point, Ms. Jolie is just looking forward to defeating the case at trial next year so that their family can finally focus their energies on healing and moving on.”
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Angelina Jolie on Feb. 9, 2026; Brad Pitt on Sept. 1, 2024Credit: Aurore Marechal/Getty; Dominique Charriau/WireImage
PEOPLE has reached out to lawyers for Oliynik for comment.
In court filings, Jolie has slammed Pitt's characterizations of Shefler — whom Pitt's team calls a “Russian exile” and a critic of Putin — as a “xenophobic, untrue smear campaign,” according to her paperwork. A source close to Jolie says she “did not sell to Stoli for any reason other than she expected Stoli to be an excellent world‑wide distribution partner who could help grow the business for the benefit of their children, who stood to inherit Brad's portion.”
That source adds, “The truth is that Pitt's ego and obsession for control got in the way. Brad refused to work with Stoli simply because Angie chose them, not him.” A separate source close to Pitt tells PEOPLE the court victory “is another step towards transparency over what took place,” alleging Shefler “was a partner [Jolie] chose knowing it was a partner Brad did not want involved in the business.”
Another insider claims Jolie had agreed Pitt “would have first right of refusal” before the sale, but “then sold to Shefler anyway.” The source says the recent rulings mean Stoli Group members — possibly including Shefler — “will have to explain exactly how the deal was orchestrated.”
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Château Miraval in southeastern France, May 31, 2008Credit: MICHEL GANGNE/AFP via Getty
Jolie and Pitt share six children. The former spouses' legal battle over Château Miraval began in February 2022, when Pitt filed a complaint that alleged Jolie sold her share in Château Miraval despite a prior agreement that neither would do so unless the other person approved.
She responded with a countersuit in September 2022, claiming the Ocean's Eleven star has been "waging a vindictive war against" her since she filed for divorce in 2016 following two years of marriage. (The exes reached a divorce settlement in December 2024.)
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