A Los Angeles judge has ordered Angelina Jolie to turn over emails and text messages related to the 2021 sale of her share of the Miraval winery, handing a significant discovery victory to Brad Pitt in the ex-spouses' continuing legal dispute.

According to RadarOnline, Superior Court Judge Lia Martin granted Pitt's request Tuesday, finding that certain communications Jolie withheld under claims of privilege were not protected. The judge gave Jolie 45 days to produce the requested messages between the actress and members of her business team and financial advisers.

Pitt sued Jolie in 2022 after she sold her 50% interest in Château Miraval to Russian businessman Yuri Shefler for about $67 million. Pitt alleges the sale violated an agreement between the former couple that neither would sell ownership interests without first offering the other the opportunity to buy them.

In court filings, Pitt's lawyers argued Jolie had improperly relied on a nondisclosure agreement and asserted attorney-client privilege to shield emails and texts that bear directly on whether the sale was discussed as a business transaction rather than purely legal advice. The filings, as per Los Angeles Times, say some documents bore extensive redactions that could obscure substantive business direction from Jolie or commentary by her business manager, Terry Bird, and aides Chloe Dalton and Arminka Helic.

Jolie's side has maintained that certain communications were necessary for her to receive legal advice and that redactions covered attorney mental impressions or privileged legal analysis. Her lawyers have called Pitt's suit "frivolous" in past filings.

Pitt's team also asked the court for unredacted communications between Jolie and financial consultants Marjorie Brabet-Friel and James Friel, contending they may show the economic rationale behind the transaction. The judge's order requires the production of communications that the court found were not protected.

A person familiar with Pitt's legal strategy said the messages could show Jolie "was disingenuous" about how the sale was handled. However, the person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. Representatives for Jolie and Pitt did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The ruling does not resolve the broader dispute over ownership and whether the sale breached any agreement; it clears the way for further fact-finding in what has become a protracted legal fight between two high-profile actors who once jointly owned the Provence estate where they married in 2014.

Court proceedings related to the Miraval property have attracted attention because of the winery's high profile and the international dimensions of the buyer. The case will proceed with discovery, now expected to include the newly ordered communications, potentially shaping arguments over whether Jolie breached contractual duties or whether Pitt's claims should proceed.

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Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt