Brad Pitt accused his ex-wife Angelina Jolie of “persistent misdirection” in their court battle and asked a judge to shut down her demand that he pay her $33,000, Us Weekly can exclusively report.
On October 27, the F1 actor, 61, filed court docs asking a judge to step in and force Jolie, 50, to turn over a series of private emails she has thus far refused to produce.
The actor has his eyes on Jolie’s emails with her business manager, Terry Bird, her British publicists, Chloe Dalton and Arminka Helic, and two financial consultants.
Pitt said Jolie admitted in her own declaration that it was “her routine practice to engage in lengthy conversations with her non-attorney business manager Terry Bird about ‘essentially all aspects of [her] business and professional life’ including discussion about ‘legal advice and proposed strategy’ at issue.’”
He said, “What Jolie is describing here are brainstorming sessions between non-lawyers. The fact that these brainstorming sessions may have followed or preceded advice from a lawyer on the same general topic or a related topic does not shield them from [being turned over].” (In previous filings, Jolie’s team has adamantly denied Pitt’s claims the emails are not covered by attorney-client privilege and said she has no duty to turn over the requested documents.)
The actor said Jolie “has categorically withheld such communications, including the entirety of all but one of Bird’s internal communications discussing the terms of the sale of her interest in Chateau Miraval to the [third party] — the key transaction at issue in this litigation.”
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
In regard to her emails with her publicists, Pitt said no lawyers were copied on the emails. He said Jolie has not explained why the assistance of “British image consultants was reasonably necessary to receive legal advice regarding the sale of the French home and winery she owned” with Pitt.
Pitt said after three and a half years of litigation, Jolie “has still produced only one internal email that even mentions the terms of the sale at the center of this case.” He believes there are a ton of missing emails.
The actor said Jolie complained about him asking her to voluntarily submit the emails for an in-person review in court. He said, “It is odd that Jolie has declined to do so, given that it would presumably be the easiest way to meet her burden to show that she has redacted only privileged legal advice.”
Nestled among the rolling hills of the French countryside in the small village of Correns sits Château Miraval, the centuries-old 1,200-acre property Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie purchased for $28.4 million in 2008. For the A-list megastars, the sprawling estate was an idyllic escape from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. It was a place […]
The demand was made as part of Pitt and Jolie’s never-ending battle over a French winery named Chateau Miraval that they purchased while married. (Pitt sued Jolie, claiming she sold her stake in the company, which he said he worked hard to build, to a third party without his approval, which he said was required. Jolie denies she had to get Pitt to sign off.)
The exes are going back and forth demanding that the other turn over documents and information to help build their case. For months, Pitt has accused Jolie of dragging her feet on producing emails with certain advisors on her team. He has a list of emails she exchanged with her team members but Jolie has not given Pitt access to read the messages.
Jolie claimed that the emails Pitt wanted to see involved her discussing legal matters with others, which meant she did not have to turn over the emails. She also asked the court to sanction Pitt, a form of punishment in court, and pay her $33,000 to cover her legal fees for having to fight his email demand.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Jason Merritt/Getty Images
In his new motion, Pitt stated that he is not seeking any communications involving Jolie’s lawyers. He said the emails in question are between non-attorneys, which means the emails and messages should be turned over by Jolie, unless they involve her seeking legal advice.
Jolie’s lawyer, Paul Murphy, told Us, “Mr. Pitt’s reply brief does not address our arguments and continues to rely on conjecture and speculation – all for the purpose of invading her privileged communications with her lawyers. This once again confirms that this lawsuit is the manifestation of Mr. Pitt’s years-long effort to harass and control Angelina. We look forward to the upcoming hearing.”
As Us first reported, on October 6, Jolie filed a declaration detailing her opposition to having to turn over the emails.
Angelina Jolie‘s ongoing legal battle with ex Brad Pitt is getting more heated, as she alleged that the actor tried to force her to sign an $8.5 million non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to cover up “years of abuse.” In new court documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 25 and obtained by Us […]
“Jolie, through counsel, repeatedly asked Pitt to withdraw [the motion]. She even warned him numerous times that if the Court denied Pitt’s motion, Jolie would ask the Court to order Pitt to pay Jolie’s attorneys’ fees opposing the motion,” the actress’ lawyer wrote. “Pitt still refused to withdraw it. Jolie thus requests that the Court order Pitt to reimburse her for the substantial attorneys’ fees she was forced to incur.”
In her filing, Jolie told the court the divorce was hard on her and the kids.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie‘s legal battle over French winery Château Miraval is still ongoing — and getting even messier. Pitt, 59, was accused of “looting” and “stripping” Château Miraval’s assets in an effort to take over the property, according to court documents obtained by CNN on Monday, July 10. In a new complaint filed […]
“Miraval was one of the first major investments we made together, and it was a focal point of our family life. We were married there, I spent part of my pregnancy there and I brought our twin children home there from the hospital,” the Maria star said. “To have such a sudden break from my home and memories has been hard, and it was especially difficult for the children to have their lives so disrupted.”
Pitt claimed Jolie came to him in 2021, letting him know she wanted to sell her stake in Miraval. The actor said he and his team started negotiations to buy Jolie’s stake. He claimed he offered over $55 million.
Jolie said Pitt asked her to sign a non-disclosure, that she felt covered his behavior outside the business, that she did not agree with and refused to sign. The deal fell apart, and Jolie sold her stake to a company called Stoli. Pitt has accused Stoli of attempting a hostile takeover. The Stoli team filed a countersuit against Pitt accusing him of misusing company assets. He denied the claims. The parties have yet to set a trial date but Pitt expects it will last 15 days.
