Brad Pitt has secured a major victory in his ongoing legal battle with ex-wife Angelina Jolie over the ownership of Château Miraval, the French estate and winery the former couple once shared.

According to recent California court documents, a judge has granted a crucial request from Pitt’s legal team to compel key members of the Stoli Group to sit for depositions and testify.

Pitt, 62, has long argued that executives at the beverage conglomerate possess firsthand, direct knowledge regarding Jolie’s 2021 sale of her stake in the estate to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group.

Need to Know:

• The Disagreement Over an NDA Collapse: Before selling her Miraval shares to the Stoli Group, Jolie initially intended to sell her half of the property directly to Pitt. However, negotiations completely collapsed when Pitt insisted she sign a sweeping non-disclosure agreement preventing her from publicly speaking about his behavior leading up to their divorce.
• Jolie’s Recent Win Over Private Emails: While Pitt celebrated his deposition victory, Jolie secured a major courtroom win of her own. A Los Angeles judge recently blocked Pitt’s legal team from accessing her private, confidential email threads regarding the winery sale, ruling that attorney-client privilege protected the documents and Pitt lacked justification to override it.
• The Stoli Group’s Legal Jurisdiction: An important factor of the appeals court decision was making the call if European billionaire Yuri Shefler is liable to be sued in California or not. The court ruled that Shefler intentionally exploited California laws to buying the $64 million property from a local resident, which legally subjected him to the state’s jurisdiction in this case.

A Turn in the Courtroom

The ruling marks a significant shift in the Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie winery dispute. A while ago, senior Stoli executive Alexey Oliynik had rejected the request for documents and cooperation in questioning, the reason being that as a resident of Switzerland, he was not under any obligation to be present.

However, the new court orders mandate that Oliynik, alongside representatives from Tenute del Mondo and Nouvel LLC (the company Jolie used to execute the sale), must appear in London by September 30 to give their depositions.

Additionally, the California Court of Appeal reversed a previous decision regarding Stoli Group billionaire owner Yuri Shefler. The court flatly rejected Shefler’s claims that he played only a “minimal role” in the transaction.

“It defies credulity that Shefler, a sophisticated businessman, would risk almost $40 million on a transaction about which he knew nothing and with which he had no involvement,” the court stated in its ruling. A formal hearing regarding the motion to compel testimonies is currently scheduled for July 8.

Two Sides to the Rosé War

For Brad Pitt, the decision is being viewed by those close to him as a significant step forward.

“This win is another step towards transparency over what took place,” a source close to Pitt tells PEOPLE. The insider alleges that Shefler “was a partner [Jolie] chose knowing it was a partner Brad did not want involved in the business,” adding that Jolie had previously agreed Pitt would have the “first right of refusal” before any potential sale took place.

However, legal representatives for Jolie, 51, maintain that the recent developments do not impact the core of the ongoing litigation.

“The decisions have no impact on the merits of the case, and certainly has no impact on Ms. Jolie’s case,” a lawyer for Jolie tells PEOPLE. “At this point, Ms. Jolie is just looking forward to defeating the case at trial next year so that their family can finally focus their energies on healing and moving on.”

A source close to the actress also emphasizes that her decision to sell her shares to Stoli was motivated purely by business growth for her family. “She believed the company would help grow the business for the benefit of their children,” the insider says, noting the children are expected to inherit Pitt’s share in the future. “The truth is that Pitt’s ego and obsession for control got in the way. Brad refused to work with Stoli simply because Angie chose them, not him.”

The History of Miraval

The high-profile battle over the Correns, France property, famed for its award-winning rosé, began in February 2022. Pitt sued his ex-wife after alleging she secretly sold her 50 percent stake without his knowledge or consent, violating a purported verbal agreement that neither would sell without the other’s approval.

Jolie later filed a countersuit, accusing Brad Pitt of launching a “vindictive war” against her in the years following her 2016 divorce filing. While the former couple finalized their broader divorce settlement, the battle over the estate remains heavily contested as both sides prepare to face off at trial.

To see a breakdown of how the legal battle has escalated over the years, you can watch this Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Winery War Overview which highlights the major turning points and motion dismissals leading up to this latest courtroom development.