Brad Pitt Reportedly Secures Major Win As Judge Orders Angelina Jolie To Hand Over 'Secret' Texts

A California court has delivered a significant victory to Brad Pitt in his protracted dispute with Angelina Jolie over their French vineyard.

The judge has ruled that Jolie must hand over 22 previously undisclosed documents, including text messages and emails, within the next 45 days, potentially exposing damaging correspondence that could shift the balance of the ongoing legal battle.

The latest ruling marks another turning point in what has become one of Hollywood's most expensive and contentious property disputes. Since 2022, the former couple have been locked in fierce litigation over their stake in Château Miraval, the luxury estate in Provence that produces a prestigious rosé wine.

What began as a straightforward business disagreement has spiralled into a complex legal war involving claims of breach of contract, alleged bad faith, and now, demands for transparency.

The Secret Documents at the Heart of the Château Miraval Battle

Jolie had attempted to shield the messages and emails from discovery, arguing that they were protected by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and contained privileged legal communications with her advisers. Her legal team insisted the materials represented confidential strategic planning between her business manager and trusted consultants, and should therefore remain confidential under attorney-client privilege rules.

The judge, however, rejected this argument entirely. The court found that the documents were not, in fact, privileged legal advice but rather simple 'business gossip' exchanged between Jolie, her business manager, and various advisers outside the legal profession. 'The judge sided with Pitt's legal team, who had argued that Jolie was attempting to misuse privilege protections to conceal materials that were central to the case's core claims.

According to sources close to the Mr. & Mrs. Smith star, Pitt's attorneys contend that the emails will demonstrate Jolie has been 'disingenuous since the start' regarding her decision to sell her stake in the vineyard. In their motion to the court, Pitt's legal team stated bluntly: 'Jolie is abusing the privilege to bury critical documents that go to the heart of the case.' The ruling suggests the judge agreed.

How the Château Miraval Dispute Began

The dispute dates back to 2008, when Pitt and Jolie purchased Château Miraval together as part of their married life. In 2022, more than six years after their separation, the situation escalated dramatically when Jolie sold her 50 per cent stake to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler for approximately £53 million, without offering Pitt the chance to match the offer.

Pitt claims the couple had an explicit, binding agreement that either party would have first refusal—known as 'right of first refusal'—if the other decided to sell their share. Under this arrangement, Pitt should have been given the opportunity to purchase Jolie's stake before she could sell it to an outside party. Jolie's surprise sale to Shefler, Pitt argues, violated this fundamental agreement.

The 62-year-old actor has characterised the transaction as a deliberate breach of trust, undertaken without consultation or negotiation. He filed his lawsuit in 2022, seeking damages and attempting to undo the sale. Jolie, for her part, has disputed whether any such binding agreement existed at all, and has maintained throughout the proceedings that she had every right to sell her ownership stake.

What the Hidden Messages Might Reveal

Now that the court has ordered disclosure of the 22 documents, Pitt's team is poised to examine correspondence that may provide a contemporaneous record of Jolie's thinking and decision-making process regarding the sale. The emails and texts may show how Jolie's advisers assessed her legal exposure, analysed the strength of Pitt's position, or discussed a strategy for handling the inevitable dispute.

Jolie's own sworn declarations have acknowledged that the disputed materials reveal 'the step-by-step road map of her legal and strategic manoeuvres, from drafting responses to analysing legal advice.' Her legal team has insisted these materials reflect pure legal strategy and nothing more. Yet the judge's ruling suggests this argument did not persuade the court.

The dispute has become emblematic of how bitter personal relationships can metastasise into prolonged, expensive litigation. The pair's 12-year relationship ended abruptly in 2016 following an infamous altercation aboard a private plane, which set off a chain reaction of divorce proceedings and a painful custody battle. More than a decade later, they remain entangled in legal disputes over property and assets.

What Comes Next

The court has scheduled a trial date of 1 February 2027, giving both sides time to prepare. Before that, mediation has been ordered for 28 October 2026, suggesting the judge still hopes the parties might resolve their differences without a full courtroom battle. Jolie has previously been ordered to turn over every non-disclosure agreement she signed between 2014 and 2022.

For Pitt, this latest ruling is a meaningful victory in a battle of wills that shows no sign of abating. Whether the undisclosed messages will genuinely shift the legal trajectory of the case remains to be seen, but the judge has made clear her willingness to expose materials Jolie wished to keep hidden.