Throughout last week, Angelina Jolie was in New York, doing screenings and Q&A sessions and promotion for Pablo Larrain’s Maria. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how thoroughly she’s hustled this movie. Some will say “oh, she just wants an Oscar!” Maybe, but she already has two Oscars. I think she’s just really proud of the movie and she’s at the point in her life where she’s ready to go back to acting in a bigger way? Plus, it’s just been years since she was the lead in a film, and maybe she’s actually enjoying her promotional duties this time around. She seems to really love seeing her fans too. Additionally, in between screenings and Oscar-voter glad-handing, Angelina and Pablo went to the Metropolitan Opera’s Tosca Gala. She wore all-black to the Met (her gown was Saint Laurent).
It wasn’t all Maria-promo last week though. As we discussed, the judge overseeing Brad Pitt and Angelina’s Miraval dispute made some rulings in a hearing last week. Pitt is suing Jolie because she sold Nouvel, her half of Chateau Miraval. Jolie is countersuing Pitt for being an abuser and liar. Jolie had filed some demurrers, but they were rejected by the judge. Which means that Jolie and Pitt are still headed to trial. I had been waiting to see if Angelina’s lawyers would push back on Brad’s narrative that this ruling was some huge victory for Team Pitt. Well, her lawyer went to Us Weekly??
Brad Pitt scored a legal win in his and Angelina Jolie‘s ongoing court battle over their French winery. Us Weekly can confirm that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the Château Miraval case heading to trial — and Pitt’s remaining claims against Jolie, 49, have been allowed to proceed. The judge upheld that there was an implied contract regarding shares in the holding company, and Pitt’s claims were valid on two counts of interference.
A trial date has not been set, but it could potentially be decided in April. The update in the cast comes after a judge previously shut down Jolie’s attempts to have the case tossed. Pitt, 60, and Jolie, who likely will be deposed in the case, might have to wait until 2026 to actually take the stand.
“The court’s decision simply means that Mr. Pitt must now actually prove his case. In truth, Mr. Pitt rejected, in writing, the very contract he now claims he had with Angelina,” Jolie’s attorney Paul Murphy said in a statement to Us Weekly. “Then, after she filed under seal evidence of domestic abuse, he pulled his offer to buy out Angelina’s share of Miraval unless she signed a revised NDA now expanded to cover Mr. Pitt’s personal conduct.”
In February 2022, Pitt filed a lawsuit claiming Jolie illegally sold her shares after they previously agreed only to do so with each other’s approval. In court documents obtained by Us, Pitt accused Jolie of “vindictively” giving up her share since he was never given the chance to match or outbid her offer.
“The court’s decision simply means that Mr. Pitt must now actually prove his case.” Which should be interesting, because a lot can happen between now and a 2026 trial date. For example, Yuri Shefler could manage to completely squeeze Pitt out of Miraval’s business, or the French authorities could conduct additional raids on the property or Pitt could have to sell off even more stuff to keep Miraval afloat despite his poor management and idiocy. Who even knows. I get why so many Jolie fans are worried about this though – even though I have total faith in Angelina and her lawyers, all of this is Brad Pitt continuing to financially abuse her. He’s trying to tie her up for years and make her spend millions of dollars in legal fees.
Last thing – Tom Ford released an ad starring Angelina Jolie as the face of their beauty line. This is very sexy, but I need directors to stop with all of the jump-cuts every second.
Angelina Jolie wears the ultimate fashion accessory, Runway Lip Color in the new campaign.
Featuring shade 16 Scarlet Rouge.#TOMFORDBEAUTY #TOMFORD pic.twitter.com/d0j2Egp5cm
— TOM FORD (@TOMFORD) November 12, 2024
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.