Angelina Jolie is 'looking forward' to trial with ex Brad Pitt over French winery after actor's major legal wins

Angelina Jolie is 'looking forward' to her upcoming trial with ex-husband Brad Pitt amidst the former couple's ongoing legal battle over their French winery Chateau Miraval. 

It comes after the Daily Mail revealed this week that the 62-year-old actor recently scored a major legal win as he is set to go face-to-face with vodka billionaire Yuri Shefler who bought Jolie's stake in the vineyard. 

A California Superior Court has also granted the F1 star's motion to depose members of the Stoli Group, which is run by Shefler, per a June 17 court filing obtained by People.

Last year in June, Pitt sought to depose the company's executive Alexey Oliynik. But lawyers for Jolie, 51, argued Oliynik did not have to present documents or appear for a deposition due to being a Swiss resident. 

But now according to the filing, depositions for Oliynik as well as other 'persons most qualified' need to occur by September 30 of this year in London. 

One of Jolie's lawyers also told People on Thursday that Pitt's latest legal wins 'have made no impact on the merits of the case, and certainly has no impact on Ms. Jolie's case.' 

The Maleficent actress is instead 'looking forward to defeating the case at trial next year so that their family can finally focus their energies on healing and moving on.'

A separate source claimed to People that Pitt 'refused to work' with the Stoli Group due to Jolie being the one who had chosen the company. 

But an insider close to the Hollywood actor stated that his legal victories in the ongoing case are 'another step towards transparency over what took place.'

When the trial takes place next year in February 2027, members of the Stoli Group 'will have to explain exactly how the deal was orchestrated,' with Shefler possibly taking to the stand as well. 

Jolie had sold her stake of the winery to the group's wine division called Tenute del Mondo.  

The Daily Mail revealed earlier this week that the California Court of Appeal reversed a lower court decision that had allowed Shefler to walk away from the lawsuit by claiming he had little involvement in the $64 million deal that made him Pitt's unwilling business partner.

'Angelina knew Brad didn't want to sell her share of Miraval to Shefler, and she had agreed with Brad that he would have first right of refusal. So selling to Shefler behind Brad's back was spiteful,' an insider told the Daily Mail.

'This was payback after the custody dispute. And now Shefler will have to divulge what really happened behind the scenes and how the deal was orchestrated.'

The unanimous ruling, handed down by a three-judge panel on Wednesday, found that Shefler had 'purposefully availed himself' of California jurisdiction.

'It defies credulity that Shefler, a sophisticated businessman, would risk almost $40 million on a transaction about which he knew nothing and with which he had no involvement,' the court wrote.

Shefler, the billionaire behind Cyprus-registered SPI Group and its Dutch subsidiary Tenute del Mondo, had argued he was a Swiss resident who played no role in the six-month negotiation that saw Jolie quietly sell her 50 percent stake to his company in September 2021.

The lower court had sided with Shefler, finding that because negotiations were conducted between European representatives in Europe over a French vineyard, California could not exercise jurisdiction over him.

But the appeals court dismantled that argument, finding that Shefler had personally guaranteed $39 million of his own funds to secure Jolie's installment payments.

He even sent her direct letters thanking her for 'accepting my offer,' and instructed his lieutenants throughout the deal.

His own staff referred to him as 'The Founder' and 'Mr. S' in internal emails as they scrambled to manage Pitt's furious reaction to the acquisition.

In one letter, Shefler even thanked Jolie for her 'trust in me and my company. I can assure you that Miraval is safe with me.'

'I would also like to thank you for your willingness to assist in resolving potential issues with the remaining shareholders of the company,' he added.

'Obviously this is a unique transaction and in certain respects it is not as straightforward as we would all like it to be.'

In another internal email, sent while Jolie was still allegedly stalling over signing an exclusivity agreement, an aide told her Luxembourg-based attorney that 'Mr Shefler is considering that advice' on whether to withdraw.

Pitt first sued Jolie in February 2022, alleging she had secretly sold her half of their beloved Provençal estate, where the former couple married in 2014, without his consent.

He claimed that he and Jolie had an implied agreement that neither would sell their share to a third party without the other's approval, a deal Jolie's side has denied ever existed.

In his lawsuit, Pitt alleged that Shefler had 'orchestrated the purchase in secret to facilitate the breach of Pitt's rights and to prevent him from protecting or exercising his rights.'

Shefler reached out to Pitt directly by letter in October 2021 hoping to smooth things over, expressing hope that Pitt would accept 'there is a new partner.' Pitt refused.

Shefler had purchased a California company - Nouvel LLC, the entity Jolie used to hold her Miraval interest - from a California resident.

The purchase agreement and the exclusivity agreement that preceded it were both governed by California law with California forum-selection clauses.

His $39 million bank guarantee was addressed to Jolie, care of her Los Angeles-based business manager Terry Bird.

'It was these contacts by Shefler with California in purchasing a California company from a California resident that caused the injury to another California resident and California company that is the subject of the lawsuit,' the court ruled.

The two film stars have been locked in a bitter battle over the vineyard and winery ever since, with Jolie's cross-complaint accusing Pitt of waging a 'vindictive war' against her that has devalued Miraval and blocked her company from participating in its management.

The ruling paves the way for Shefler to face trial alongside the other defendants, creating a showdown with both Jolie and Pitt in court.

The case, now involving a combined estate valuation of approximately $164 million, is scheduled for trial on February 1, 2027, with mediation ordered for October 28.

Pitt and Jolie were previously married from 2014 until their split two years later. The divorce became legal in 2019.

And in late 2024, it was revealed that the former couple had reached a divorce settlement following a lengthy, eight-year battle. However, the legal dispute over their French winery rages on. 

The two stars share three biological children Shiloh, 20, as well as twins Knox and Vivienne, 17. The pair also share Maddox, 24, Pax, 22 and Zahara, 21.