Angelina Jolie has secured a legal victory on Monday in the ongoing battle over the French winery with her ex-husband Brad Pitt. According to PEOPLE Magazine, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge made a key ruling on May 5. The judge rejected a request from Brad Pitt’s legal team. The request would have forced Angelina Jolie to hand over 22 messages tied to their dispute.
The actor’s legal team argued the messages are protected under certain attorney-client rules. Even so, the court ruled in Jolie’s favor by adopting a previous appellate ruling that overturned an earlier order compelling their release. The news of the victory comes after she said she has been thinking about leaving the U.S. to build a life far from Hollywood.
The actress has reportedly been waiting for her twins, Vivienne and Knox, to turn 18. She had long planned a move overseas. Vivienne and Knox, her youngest children, are set to turn 18 on July 12. An insider earlier told PEOPLE that Jolie will be “very happy” if she’s able to leave Los Angeles. “She didn’t have a choice because of the custody arrangement with Brad,” it added.
Her decision seems to stem from disagreement with immigration restrictions introduced under Trump’s mass deportation policies. She argues security concerns should not justify the bans affecting the entire U.S. population. In May 2025, she listed her historic Los Angeles estate for $29.9 million. This marked a major step toward her plans to leave the country.
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Furthermore, Jolie’s attorney, Paul Murphy, spoke to the outlet and said that the ruling was “an important victory for Jolie.” He also claimed that Brad Pitt went “completely out of bounds.” Murphy said this reflected a broader pattern of trying to control matters related to the actress, including her talks with her own attorneys.
The legal battle over the winery began when Angelina Jolie moved to sell her stake in Château Miraval in 2022. She did this by transferring her company, Nouvel, to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group. This was done without her former husband’s consent, allegedly violating a 2021 agreement. This move shifted her 50% ownership interest in the winery to the Stoli Group’s wine division. However, Angelina Jolie denied any such agreement existed and countersued, accusing Pitt of a retaliatory legal campaign.
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According to The New York Post, the star purchased the Cecil B. DeMille house, where she lives in, for $24.5 million in 2017. She has been living there since her divorce in 2016. The property is a large six-bedroom, ten-bathroom compound in an upscale Los Angeles enclave. It reflects a sense of elegance and history.
Priginally built in 1913 and owned by filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille, who lived there until his death in 1959. The listing highlights exclusive features such as a pool, guesthouse, fitness studio, and landscaped grounds. However, it does not mention Jolie’s personal renovations, likely to retain her privacy. Meanwhile, she not publicly commented on the sale at the time of witing.
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Jolie and Pitt met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2004. After a whirlwind romance, the duo stayed together for 12 years. They raised six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox.
The duo tied the knot in 2014 but separated in 2016. The split followed controversial accusations of physical and verbal fights involving the couple and their children.
