Judge makes pivotal decision in Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt legal case
The Los Angeles superior court has granted Brad Pitt’s request for Angelina Jolie to reveal full details of her non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as they continue to fight over the ownership of a French winery.
The decision was made on May 22nd, and Jolie now has a 60 day period to reveal the details of the NDAs that she signed following their marriage. The actor must also make a document of the agreements which she believes are protected from being disclosed due to legal privilege.
The dispute relates to the Château Miraval property in Provence they purchased in 2008. Pitt previously accused Jolie of attempting to sell her portion of shares to a Russian billionaire without his consent through her company Nouvel.
Earlier this year, Jolie’s legal team filed a motion that they hoped would allow them to release documents they perceived to be evidence that Pitt would only give her permission to sell her stakes in the winery if she signed an “expansive” NDA.
Following her reluctance to sign an NDA, Pitt’s lawyers claimed they had a right to see other NDAs she has previously agreed to see if they are “the deal-ender she subsequently alleged it to be”, which has now been passed by the Los Angeles superior court.
When the request was made by Pitt’s representatives, in court papers, Jolie’s lawyers responded: “Pitt apparently intends to argue that, over the past two decades, Jolie had or at least considered other NDAs with other people and entities, about other matters not in any way connected with Pitt’s abuse.”
They then made an allegation of abuse against Pitt, noting, “He says he wants to argue that since Jolie considered and/or entered other NDAs over her lengthy career, his proposed NDA covering his spousal and child abuse couldn’t possibly have been the reason the deal collapsed.” Pitt has previously denied all allegations of abuse.
Now, Jolie is set to disclose “any NDA between Jolie and any third party with whom she is in a relationship or who has assisted with the care of the couple’s children” from 2014 until 2022.
Following the decision made by Judge Martin, a source close to Pitt claimed to The Times: “In the context of this case so far, this is a hugely important and far-reaching ruling which will be problematic for [Jolie’s] defence.”
However, Jolie’s attorney, Paul Murphy, told The Daily Mail that the team are “more than happy to turn [the NDAs] over”.
“Common NDAs are simply not comparable to Mr Pitt’s last-second demand to try and cover up his personal misconduct,” Murphy continued.
The lawyer also said they 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”.
Furthermore, Murphy alleged the disclosure of these NDAs “opens the door to discovery on all issues related to Pitt’s abuse” and “we welcome that transparency in all parties’ discovery responses”.
He concluded: “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.”
This is a developing story.
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