Brad Pitt just got the legal answer he's been pushing for - and it brings the Château Miraval battle one step closer to a courtroom reckoning.
In a June 17 court document obtained by PEOPLE, the Superior Court of California granted a motion from Pitt's legal team compelling depositions from members of the Stoli Group - the spirits and wine giant whose wine division, Tenute del Mondo, purchased Jolie's share of the French winery back in 2021.
New documents filed in June indicate that the depositions of Stoli executive Alexey Oliynik and "persons most qualified" from Tenute del Mondo and Nouvel LLC - the company Jolie sold to Tenute del Mondo - must now occur in London by September 30.
Oliynik had previously argued he could not be compelled to testify because he lives in Switzerland.
There was a second win the same week. On June 24, California's Court of Appeals reversed its earlier decision on Stoli Group owner Yuri Shefler's involvement in the sale.
The court found it hard to accept that a sophisticated businessman would risk nearly $40 million on a transaction he claimed to know nothing about. A hearing on a motion to compel Shefler's deposition is scheduled for July 8.
A source close to Pitt described the rulings as another step toward transparency. Jolie's team pushed back, saying the decisions have no bearing on the merits of the case - and that she remains focused on the trial scheduled for 2027.
The legal fight began in February 2022 when Pitt alleged Jolie sold her share of Château Miraval despite an agreement that neither would do so without the other's approval.
The case had already been complicated by the death of a key witness before trial.
At its core, this is a story about what unresolved wounds can cost - in time, money, and peace.
Related Article: Brad Pitt vs. Angelina Jolie: A Key Witness Died and the $164M Miraval Trial Just Got Messier
