The file
Brad Pitt
Photo: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
person

Brad Pitt

American actor and two-time Oscar winner, in Los Angeles courts with Angelina Jolie since 2016 over divorce, custody and Château Miraval

Entries
44
On the record
27
Stories
1
Latest entry
Aug 2026

The record

Compiled by the MrScandal desk from the documents below · Desk editor Gustavs Ērkšķis-Kreicbergs · Nov 12, 2026

Brad Pitt's largest open case is the Château Miraval lawsuit. On February 17, 2022 he and his company Mondo Bongo sued Angelina Jolie, her former company Nouvel and the buyers of her half of the French estate, claiming the two had an unwritten agreement that neither would sell without the other's consent. Jolie had sold Nouvel in September 2021 for $64 million to Tenute del Mondo, a company beneficially owned by Yuri Shefler, who also controls the Stoli vodka group. Jolie denies any such agreement, and Nouvel's cross-complaint accuses Pitt of draining the wine business. Several of Pitt's claims were dismissed in March 2024; the implied-contract claim survives. In June 2026 the Court of Appeal ruled that Shefler can be sued in California. There is no ruling on the merits, and the court's website listed trial for August 2027.

Jolie filed for divorce on September 19, 2016, days after a private flight from France on which, she later alleged in court filings, Pitt physically assaulted her and was abusive toward their children. Pitt denies the allegations. The FBI reviewed the matter and said in November 2016 it would not pursue further investigation; no charges were filed, and Los Angeles County's child welfare agency had already cleared him. A judgment restored both to single status in April 2019. A 2021 custody ruling by the privately paid judge, John Ouderkirk, fell away when the Court of Appeal disqualified him in July 2021 for failing to disclose paid work involving Pitt's lawyers; the California Supreme Court declined review. The settlement of their marital and property rights was filed on December 30, 2024, with terms undisclosed.

Outside the Jolie cases, the file holds the Make It Right Foundation suit. Owners of homes the charity Pitt founded built in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina sued in 2018 over leaks, rot and mold; a judge kept Pitt in the case in 2019, and a $20.5 million settlement was announced in August 2022, with responsibility for the defects contested. The record also covers a 2017 Paris appeals ruling against the Miraval estate company, Jolie's Freedom of Information Act suit for the FBI's file on the 2016 flight, dropped in September 2024, the Spanish Guardia Civil's 2024 arrests in a fraud run under his name, his spokesperson's January 2025 warning after a French case of the same kind, and a December 2025 trademark suit against his skincare company.

Questions people ask

What is Brad Pitt's Château Miraval lawsuit about?

Pitt and Mondo Bongo, his California company, filed suit on February 17, 2022 against Jolie, Nouvel, Yuri Shefler, Stoli executive Alexey Oliynik, SPI Group and Tenute del Mondo. They allege Pitt and Jolie were bound by an implied-in-fact contract that neither could sell their Miraval interest without the other's consent, and that Shefler induced Jolie to break it and arranged the purchase of Nouvel in secret. The claims are allegations; Jolie denies any such agreement. source

Who bought Angelina Jolie's stake in Château Miraval, and for how much?

Tenute del Mondo B.V., a Dutch wine company wholly owned by SPI Group of Cyprus, whose beneficial owner is Yuri Shefler, the majority owner of the Stoli Group. Under the agreement signed on September 24, 2021, Jolie transferred Nouvel, her company holding 50 percent of Miraval's Luxembourg parent Quimicum, for $64 million: $25 million at closing and $39 million in three later installments backed by a bank guarantee arranged through Shefler. source

Why did Angelina Jolie not sell her half of Miraval to Brad Pitt?

Jolie had planned to sell her half to Pitt, but the talks broke down over his insistence that she sign a nondisclosure agreement that, by her account, would have barred her from publicizing her abuse allegations. She then made the $64 million deal with Shefler's company. Pitt says the sale breached their agreement not to sell without consent. source

When is the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie winery trial?

As of late June 2026 the Los Angeles County Superior Court website listed the trial for August 2027, USA Today reported. No court has yet ruled on who owns what in Miraval or whether Jolie's sale breached an agreement; the 2026 rulings so far concern jurisdiction and discovery. source

Can Yuri Shefler be sued in the Miraval case?

Yes. On June 24, 2026 the California Court of Appeal reversed a 2024 order that had let Shefler out of the case for lack of personal jurisdiction. Justice Gail Feuer wrote that Shefler directed Tenute's negotiators, helped structure and finalize the purchase, guaranteed $39 million of the price and dealt with Jolie and her Los Angeles business manager, under an agreement governed by California law. source

Was Brad Pitt charged over the 2016 plane incident?

No. The FBI report released in 2022 records that all parties agreed criminal charges would not be pursued, and federal prosecutors announced about five weeks after the flight that they would not file charges. The FBI and Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services closed their inquiries in November 2016. Pitt has denied the abuse allegations. source

Are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie officially divorced?

Yes. A judge declared them single in April 2019, and on December 30, 2024 they filed a default declaration in Los Angeles Superior Court saying they had a written agreement on their marital and property rights. A judge approved it the next day, AP reported; both gave up future spousal support. The settlement does not cover the Miraval lawsuit. source

What happened in the Make It Right Foundation lawsuit?

Owners of homes the foundation built in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward filed a class action in 2018 over poor construction, leaks, rot, mold and faulty systems. In August 2022 the parties settled for $20.5 million, subject to court approval: $25,000 per home for past repairs for 107 homeowners, the rest divided by condition. The settlement papers say responsibility for the defects was vigorously contested. source

Roles and honours on the record

  • 2008-present Sole member of Mondo Bongo LLC, which bought into Château Miraval's Luxembourg parent Quimicum in 2008 and has held 50 percent since 2014 source
  • 2014 Producer, 12 Years a Slave, Best Picture at the 86th Academy Awards source
  • 2016-2024 Respondent in the divorce case brought by Angelina Jolie, Los Angeles Superior Court No. BD646058 source
  • 2018-2022 Defendant, as founder and chief fundraiser of the Make It Right Foundation, in the New Orleans homeowners' suit source
  • 2020 Academy Award winner, Actor in a Supporting Role, Once upon a Time...in Hollywood source
  • 2022-present Plaintiff in Pitt v. Jolie over Château Miraval, Los Angeles Superior Court No. 22STCV06081, and appellant in Pitt v. Shefler source

Stories in this file

Brad Pitt: SOLDCelebrity · 8d ago

🍷 Jolie sold her Château Miraval stake to Stoli's wine arm

Price undisclosed; People valued the label at $164M. The 2021 deal closed amid Pitt's suit over a 2013 share transfer he says was made for one euro. 🔒

The record, entry by entry

Château Miraval lawsuit

  1. 2017-04-19 Ruled The Paris Court of Appeal ordered Château Miraval, the company that runs the estate, to pay more than 500,000 euros over unpaid lighting work by artist Odile Soudant's studio: close to 450,000 euros to the studio's court-appointed administrator, about 8,000 euros in fees and 60,000 euros for harm to her reputation, plus 50,000 euros in costs, AFP reported. A Pitt spokesperson said the ruling did not address copyright. La Libre Belgique, AFP report
  2. 2021 Filed Mondo Bongo sued Nouvel in Luxembourg twice in late 2021 over the distribution of shares in Quimicum, the Luxembourg company that owns Château Miraval, according to Nouvel's cross-complaint as recounted by the appeals court. Mondo Bongo also rejected Tenute's proposals for running Quimicum, leaving its directors deadlocked. California Court of Appeal, Pitt v. Shefler opinion
  3. 2021-09-24 Official Jolie and Tenute del Mondo signed the final agreement for Tenute to buy Nouvel for $64 million: $25 million, less a deposit, at closing and $39 million in three installments by December 31, 2021, backed by a first-demand bank guarantee arranged through Shefler's bank. The contract chose California law and California courts. California Court of Appeal, Pitt v. Shefler opinion
  4. 2022-02-17 Filed Pitt and Mondo Bongo sued Jolie and Nouvel in Los Angeles Superior Court (No. 22STCV06081), later adding Shefler, Oliynik, SPI Group and Tenute. They allege the sale breached an implied-in-fact agreement that neither would sell a Miraval interest without the other's consent and seek to have it undone. Jolie denies any such agreement. California Court of Appeal, Pitt v. Shefler opinion
  5. 2022-09-06 Filed Nouvel filed a cross-complaint against Pitt, Mondo Bongo and others with seven causes of action, including interference with contracts and with prospective economic advantage. It alleges that, as part of a vindictive war against Jolie, Pitt devalued Miraval's assets, took control of the estate and shut Nouvel out of its management. Pitt denies the claims. California Court of Appeal, Pitt v. Shefler opinion
  6. 2023-06-21 Filed Pitt and Mondo Bongo filed a second amended complaint with nine causes of action, including, against Shefler and others, interference with contractual and prospective business relations, a claim under the Luxembourg Civil Code and a request for a constructive trust. California Court of Appeal, Pitt v. Shefler opinion
  7. 2023-11-14 Reported Ahead of a hearing on Nouvel's demurrer, Courthouse News reported from the filings that Jolie had agreed to sell her half to Pitt for $54.5 million before the deal collapsed over his demand for a non-disparagement clause, and that Pitt was challenging in a Luxembourg court the 10 percent of Quimicum he had transferred to Jolie's company before the wedding. Courthouse News Service report
  8. 2023-12-11 Reported Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lia Martin indicated at a hearing that she was inclined to sustain Jolie's demurrer to seven of Pitt's nine claims, leaving breach of an implied-in-fact contract and a quasi-contract claim. Jolie's lawyer argued those should go too. Courthouse News Service report
  9. 2024-03 Ruled The court dismissed most of Pitt's claims against Jolie, including the Luxembourg-law claim and the constructive-trust claim with prejudice, ET reported. The implied-contract claim and a quantum meruit claim for his work on Miraval survived as questions of fact. Jolie's lawyer Paul Murphy said the dismissed claims had no legal basis. Entertainment Tonight report
  10. 2024-03-13 Ruled The trial court granted SPI Group's motion to quash service for lack of personal jurisdiction. It also found Pitt had not established jurisdiction over Oliynik, but denied his motion as moot after Pitt filed a third amended complaint in April 2024. California Court of Appeal, Pitt v. Shefler opinion
  11. 2024-03-15 Ruled Judge Martin granted Shefler's August 2023 motion to quash service, finding Pitt's evidence related to other parties' contacts with California rather than to Shefler's own. Shefler had said he was a Swiss resident with minimal involvement in the negotiations. California Court of Appeal, Pitt v. Shefler opinion
  12. 2024-05 Ruled The court granted Pitt's April 2024 motion for Jolie to produce nondisclosure agreements she had signed in the past and set a deadline in mid-July, CNN reported from the order. Pitt's side argues the agreements bear on whether the NDA he proposed was really why the sale to him collapsed. CNN report
  13. 2024-05-16 Reported At the hearing on Pitt's NDA motion, Judge Martin said she would likely order production but could limit it to agreements from 2014, the year of the wedding, onward, adding that Jolie's past agreements might help show what a reasonable nondisclosure request is. Jolie's lawyer Paul Murphy proposed narrower limits. Courthouse News Service report
  14. 2025-12 Reported The trial judge ordered Jolie to hand over 22 emails she had withheld as privileged; Pitt had first sought 126. Jolie's team challenged the order, and the appeals court found the judge had erred and sent the issue back to the trial court, TMZ reported. TMZ report
  15. 2026-05 Ruled Judge Cindy Pánuco ruled that Jolie does not have to give Pitt's lawyers the 22 unredacted emails, finding he had not met his burden to overcome attorney-client privilege on the current record; the ruling was without prejudice. She denied Jolie's request for about $34,000 in sanctions. USA Today report, via The Spokesman-Review
  16. 2026-05-06 Official Tenute del Mondo said the court had denied a motion by winemaker Marc-Olivier Perrin and his companies Miraval Provence and Famille Perrin to dismiss Nouvel's claims against them for lack of jurisdiction. Nouvel had added them in 2023, alleging they acted with Pitt to block Jolie's shareholder rights. Tenute del Mondo statement, PR Newswire
  17. 2026-06 Ruled Judge Pánuco ordered depositions of Stoli executive Alexey Oliynik and representatives of Tenute del Mondo and Nouvel, which Pitt had first requested in June 2025, and denied Pitt's request for sanctions. USA Today report, via The Spokesman-Review
  18. 2026-06-24 Ruled The Court of Appeal (Feuer, Segal and Stone) reversed the order releasing Shefler, holding he purposefully availed himself of California: he directed Tenute's negotiators, helped structure and finalize the purchase of a California company from a California resident, guaranteed $39 million of the price and wrote to Jolie and Pitt. Pitt was awarded costs on appeal. California Court of Appeal, Pitt v. Shefler opinion
  19. 2026-08 Reported Judge Pánuco sustained Pitt's demurrer to Tenute del Mondo's cross-claim under California's stolen-property statute, finding the alleged withholding of winery funds took place in France rather than California. Tenute may amend, The Daily Pour reported, citing Law360. The Daily Pour report, via Yahoo

Divorce and custody case

  1. 2016-09-19 Filed Jolie filed to dissolve the marriage in Los Angeles Superior Court. The couple chose retired judge John W. Ouderkirk, who had officiated at their August 2014 wedding, as a privately paid temporary judge, and the court appointed him for all purposes on January 9, 2017. California Court of Appeal, Jolie v. Superior Court opinion
  2. 2018-11-21 Ruled A judgment on custody was entered in the divorce case; its terms were not made public. The appeals court later recorded the date in its 2021 opinion. California Court of Appeal, Jolie v. Superior Court opinion
  3. 2019-04-12 Ruled A bifurcated judgment restored Pitt and Jolie to single status while a final settlement on assets and a permanent custody order were still to be worked out. RTÉ report
  4. 2020-06-20 Filed Pitt filed a request for an order changing the custody and visitation terms of the November 2018 judgment. Trial before Judge Ouderkirk was set for October 5, 2020. California Court of Appeal, Jolie v. Superior Court opinion
  5. 2020-11-16 Ruled Orange County Superior Court Judge Erick Larsh, sitting by assignment, denied Jolie's statement seeking Ouderkirk's disqualification, ruling it untimely and finding the newly disclosed matters would not cause a reasonable person to doubt his impartiality. California Court of Appeal, Jolie v. Superior Court opinion
  6. 2021-05 Reported After a privately arbitrated custody trial, Ouderkirk awarded Pitt temporary joint custody, two sources with knowledge of the case told CNN. Jolie challenged the ruling on the ground that the judge had undisclosed ties to Pitt's legal team. CNN report
  7. 2021-07-23 Ruled In a published decision, the Second District Court of Appeal granted Jolie's writ petition and ordered Ouderkirk disqualified. It held that his failure to disclose newer paid engagements involving Pitt's lawyers, as the Code of Judicial Ethics requires, together with those ties, might lead an objective person to doubt his impartiality, and directed the superior court to vacate the November 2020 order. California Court of Appeal, Jolie v. Superior Court opinion
  8. 2021-10 Ruled The California Supreme Court denied Pitt's petition for review of the disqualification and his application for a stay, leaving the appeals court's ruling in place. Jolie's lawyer Robert Olson welcomed the decision. RTÉ report
  9. 2024-12-30 Official Pitt and Jolie filed a default declaration in Los Angeles Superior Court saying they had a written agreement on their marital and property rights; a judge approved it the next day, AP reported, and both waived future spousal support. Terms were not disclosed. Jolie's lawyer James Simon called it one part of a long ongoing process. The Hollywood Reporter report

2016 flight: FBI review and FOIA suit

  1. 2016-11-22 Reported An FBI spokeswoman said the bureau had reviewed the circumstances and would not pursue further investigation, adding that no charges had been filed, NBC News reported. The statement came 11 days after Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services cleared Pitt of the abuse allegations. NBC News report
  2. 2022-04 Filed A Freedom of Information Act suit was filed against the Justice Department and the FBI by a plaintiff named only as Jane Doe, later reported to be Jolie, seeking the bureau's records on the September 14, 2016 flight. She said she needed them so her children could receive medical care and trauma counseling. A judge refused to seal the case, NBC News reported. E! News report
  3. 2022-08 Reported NBC News published the redacted FBI report on the flight, obtained after the Jane Doe suit. It records that all parties agreed criminal charges would not be pursued due to several factors and that a federal prosecutor had discussed the case with the agent. A source close to Pitt said nothing reached the level of physical abuse. NBC News report
  4. 2022-10 Filed In a filing in the Miraval case, Jolie alleged for the first time in court papers that Pitt physically assaulted her and was abusive toward the children on the 2016 flight. A Pitt representative said he had accepted responsibility for what he did but would not for things he did not do. Pitt denies the abuse allegations. CNN report
  5. 2024-04 Filed Jolie alleged in another Miraval filing that Pitt's physical abuse began before the 2016 flight, without giving details, and said she had not pressed charges at the time because she believed he should accept responsibility and help the family recover. Pitt denies the allegations. CNN report
  6. 2024-09 Filed The parties to the Jane Doe suit filed a stipulation dismissing it with prejudice, each side bearing its own fees and costs. Jolie's lawyer said that unless Pitt withdrew his own lawsuit, she would have to obtain the evidence needed to disprove his allegations. E! News report

Make It Right Foundation homes

  1. 2018-09 Filed Owners of homes built by the Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward sued the charity in Orleans Parish, alleging unfair trade practices, breach of contract and fraud: they claimed they were sold defective homes and asked to sign nondisclosure agreements in exchange for repairs. Pitt, its founder, was named as a defendant. NBC News report
  2. 2018-09 Filed Make It Right sued its executive architect, John C. Williams, in Orleans Parish Civil District Court, alleging his designs left wood exposed to moisture, lacked waterproofing and included roofs that were not up to code, with repairs estimated at up to $20 million. Williams called the suit baseless. NBC News report
  3. 2019-10 Ruled Civil District Court Judge Rachael Johnson denied Pitt's November 2018 motion to be dismissed from the homeowners' suit, keeping him as a defendant because of his role as the foundation's founder and chief fundraiser. Pitt had argued he had no personal involvement and owed no duty to third parties. People report, via Yahoo
  4. 2022-08-16 Official Make It Right and the homeowners settled for $20.5 million, subject to a judge's approval: $25,000 for each of 107 homeowners toward past repairs, with the rest divided by each house's condition and distributed by the nonprofit Global Green. The settlement papers say responsibility for the defects was vigorously contested. Associated Press report, via Court TV
  5. 2022-08-23 Reported The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that Global Green, a nonprofit with ties to Pitt that was not a party to the suit, was paying the settlement, and that Make It Right appeared defunct: it had filed no IRS Form 990 since 2018 and its New Orleans office had no staff. Chronicle of Philanthropy report

Impersonation scams

  1. 2024-09-23 Official Spain's Guardia Civil said it had arrested five people and was investigating ten more in Operation Bralina, over a network that posed as Brad Pitt on a supposed fan platform and took 325,000 euros from two women, 175,000 in Granada and 150,000 in Vizcaya. Investigators recovered 85,000 euros. Suspected offences: aggravated fraud, money laundering, document forgery and membership of a criminal group. Spanish Ministry of the Interior, Guardia Civil release
  2. 2025-01-16 Reported After French media reported that a woman said she had lost about 830,000 euros to someone posing as Pitt with AI-generated images, a spokesperson for Pitt said it was awful that scammers exploit fans' connection with celebrities, Euronews reported. Euronews report

Awards and other cases

  1. 2014 Official 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture at the 86th Academy Awards, with Pitt listed among its producers alongside Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, ceremony record
  2. 2020 Official Pitt won the Academy Award for Actor in a Supporting Role for Once upon a Time...in Hollywood, a film Quentin Tarantino produced with David Heyman and Shannon McIntosh. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, ceremony record
  3. 2025-12 Filed Brandon Palas, founder of the men's grooming brand Beau D., sued Pitt's skincare company in federal court in California over its rebrand from Le Domaine to Beau Domaine, claiming trademark infringement, false designation of origin and unfair competition (Palas v. Le Domaine, No. 2:25-cv-11953, C.D. Cal.). The Fashion Law report

Documents

Sources behind this file

  1. People report on the Miraval sale · Report, Oct 6, 2021
  2. The Drinks Business report · Report, Mar 15, 2017
  3. Associated Press report (archived) · Report, Aug 28, 2014
  4. Time report (archived) · Report, Aug 28, 2014

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