Angelina Jolie ordered to surrender NDAs in legal case with Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie ordered to surrender NDAs in legal case with Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s legal showdown over their co-owned winery, Chateau Miraval, has taken another dramatic turn.
ANGELINA JOLIE’S LEGAL CASE
A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge has mandated Jolie, 48, to hand over all non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) she signed with third parties between 2014 and 2022.
This order, issued on 16 May, comes as part of their ongoing contentious battle over the winery.
This ruling represents a significant setback for Angelina Jolie.
A source confided to Us Weekly, calling it a “crushing legal blow” for the actress.
ANGELINA JOLIE’S NDA
The judge granted Pitt’s motion to compel Jolie to produce the NDAs within 60 days. These documents could play a crucial role in the ongoing dispute.
The importance of NDAs in this case stems from Jolie’s previous claim.
She claimed that she withdrew from selling her stake in the winery to Pitt, 60, due to his insistence on a mutual non-disparagement agreement.
Jolie argued that this request was “unconscionable” and rendered their agreement to seek each other’s permission before selling shares “void.”
ANGELINA JOLIE AND THE MIRAVAL ESTATE
Pitt’s legal team countered this by highlighting Jolie’s frequent use of NDAs.
They argued that her claim about Pitt’s NDA being controlling was an attempt to justify her “wrongful sale” of her Miraval stake.
Jolie sold her shares to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler in 2021, which Pitt contested.
“If Jolie has required others to sign NDAs that were at least as broad as the one she claims was so ‘unconscionable’ here, it would severely undermine her claimed excuse for terminating negotiations with Pitt,” stated Pitt’s filing.
BREACH OF CONTRACTS
His lawyers also mentioned that Jolie asked Pitt to sign “an even broader mutual non-disparagement clause.”
This was related to their divorce just six months after she sold her shares.
Angelina Jolie, however, maintained that the NDAs requested are irrelevant to the case, according to Daily Mail.
She argued that these documents should not influence the current legal battle. But Judge Lia Martin dismissed this argument.
“The Requests are reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of documents that will test whether Jolie was truly so offended by the proposed NDA.
It will clarify her claim that she was entitled to breach her contract with Pitt and sell to the Stoli Parties.
It will be clear whether that defence is pretextual,” the judge stated.
THE LEGAL SAGA
According to the ruling, Jolie must produce all NDAs she proposed or were proposed to her during the specified period.
This is regardless of whether they were finalised, according to Page Six.
She also needs to provide NDAs from companies she controls, along with documents explaining why these agreements were requested.
This development is the latest episode in Jolie and Pitt’s lengthy and messy legal saga.
Pitt first sued Angelina Jolie in February 2022, alleging she violated their contract by selling her Miraval shares to Tenute Del Mondo.
BRANGELINA DRAMA
This is the wine division of the Stoli group owned by Shefler, without his consent.
The couple, famously known as ‘Brangelina,’ tied the knot at their Miraval chateau in August 2014.
They had gained a controlling interest in the winery in 2008.
However, after a decade together, they split in late 2016 and were declared legally single in 2019.
As Angelina Jolie and Pitt continue their bitter legal feud, the world watches with bated breath.
This recent ruling could reveal much about the inner workings of their relationship and business dealings.
As always, Hollywood’s brightest stars have no shortage of drama, both on and off the screen.