Angelina Jolie has been ordered to turn over eight years’ worth of non-disclosure agreements she has signed as part of her winery fight with Brad Pitt.
Angelina Jolie has been ordered to turn over eight years’ worth of non-disclosure agreements she has signed as part of her winery fight with Brad Pitt
The ‘Maleficent’ actress, 48, and ‘Fight Club’ star, 60, have spent years locked in a battle over ownership of their $500 million winery, Château Miraval and a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has now made the NDA ruling in the latest development in the battle over the French vineyard.
It's been ruled Angelina must produce in the next month “all non-privileged documents in her possession, custody, or control that are responsive to” a request by Brad’s side to show any of the papers she has signed.
A source from Brad’s team told Page Six the latest ruling was a “crushing blow” after Angelina’s side had previously argued in court papers that turning over her previous NDAs as prat of the case would be “expensive,” “wasteful,” “unreasonable” and “abusive”.
Angelina’s lawyers also previously argued in court documents turning over other NDAs she has signed would be an invasion of privacy for other parties.
It’s understood the documents would include NDAs with Hollywood employers, brands and employees,.
Her side said in legal papers they may contain “contracts that include Jolie’s compensation or compensation she paid to third parties”.
The new judge’s order also said Angelina’s side should provide a list of any documents she deems as privileged in the case, so Brad’s team can “evaluate the merits of Jolie’s assertions of privilege”.
Lawyers for Brad, who divorced Angelina in 2019, filed papers in April asking his ex to reveal how many NDAs she has asked her employees to sign.
The move came after the actress accused him of trying to use what she branded a way to “control” her.
Angelina has sold her shares in the winery to a Stoli Group subsidiary – a deal Brad said was unfair.
A source added to Page Six: “The (new) ruling is the latest in a series of pre-trial victories for Pitt.”
Angelina’s attorney Paul Murphy insisted it was a win for his side, saying: “Common NDAs are simply not comparable to Mr Pitt’s last-second demand to try and cover up his personal misconduct.
“We are more than happy to turn them over and we are gratified that the Court acknowledged that the only potential relevance is to the unconscionability of Mr Pitt’s conduct, a now confirmed key issue in this case.
“We welcome that transparency in all parties’ discovery responses, including Mr Pitt’s. Angelina looks forward to the eventual end of this litigation with its false narratives that continue to hurt the family and interfere with their ability to heal.”
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