The ongoing legal dispute between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie over their French winery, Château Miraval, has taken another contentious turn. Pitt is ardently contesting Jolie’s recent request for access to his private communications concerning the infamous 2016 plane incident, which allegedly contributed to their divorce. Pitt’s legal team has denounced the request as a “sensationalist fishing expedition” irrelevant to the winery dispute.
Pitt Refuses to Share Private Messages
The high-profile divorce negotiations between Pitt and Jolie have taken a bitter turn as they near settlement. Pitt has formally submitted a motion to the Los Angeles County Superior Court to dismiss Jolie’s request for the disclosure of their private conversations. These conversations pertain to a 2016 family plane trip during which Pitt allegedly attacked Jolie and their children. Pitt’s lawyers argue that the request is an intrusive overreach and that he has already offered to provide documents detailing the plane trip. However, Jolie’s team rejected this compromise, seeking instead his private communications with third parties about the incident.
According to a court filing obtained by People, the alleged communications include “sensitive issues such as the therapy he voluntarily undertook after the flight incident to better himself, ‘drug and alcohol testing’ he has allegedly undergone, his alleged ‘overuse or abuse of alcohol,’ and other actions taken in the aftermath of the flight.”
Details of the 2016 Plane Incident
For those unfamiliar with the case, The Babylon actor was charged with “attempted assault” for allegedly grabbing Jolie by her hair, repeatedly shaking her, and forcefully pushing her into a bathroom wall during a 2016 family plane trip. This incident reportedly occurred in front of their children, and allegations were also made against Pitt regarding his use of violence towards his children during the confrontation.
Dispute Over Private Communications
In April, Jolie submitted a request concerning a nondisclosure agreement, which her team claims was demanded by Pitt as a condition for purchasing her Miraval shares. Her legal team has also alleged that Pitt has persistently sought to exert control over her, financially exploit her, and conceal his history of abuse and control.
Pitt’s legal counsel has argued that Jolie’s request for “private, third-party communications” from that period should not be considered relevant to the dispute. “If Jolie’s requests were really about ‘what happened on that plane’ as she claims, Pitt’s offer should have sufficed,” the filing reads. “Jolie, however, wants them anyway as part of her efforts to turn this business dispute into a re-litigation of the former couple’s divorce case.”