The long-running legal battle intensified after a California Superior Court granted a motion by Pitt to depose key members of the Stoli Group, an international spirits empire owned by Russian-born vodka billionaire Yuri Shefler. According to a June 17 court filing, a judge ruled that depositions for Stoli executive Alexey Oliynik, alongside other “persons most qualified,” must take place in London before September 30 of this year.
The ruling marks a major turning point in a year-long pre-trial gridlock. Pitt had initially sought to depose Oliynik last year, but legal representatives for the 51-year-old Jolie fought the motion. They argued that because Oliynik is a resident of Switzerland, he was not legally obligated to appear for a deposition or hand over corporate documents to California courts.
The court’s decision to compel these depositions represents a substantial win for Pitt, whose legal team has been pushing for greater transparency regarding how the private sale was covertly arranged behind his back.
Angelina Jolie, 51, is ‘looking forward’ to her upcoming trial with ex-husband Brad Pitt, 62, amidst the former couple’s ongoing legal battle over their French winery Chateau Miraval
The Maleficent actress is instead ‘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 separate source claimed to People that Pitt ‘refused to work’ with the Stoli Group due to Jolie being the one who had chosen the company.
But an insider close to the Hollywood actor stated that his legal victories in the ongoing case are ‘another step towards transparency over what took place.’
When the trial takes place next year in February 2027, members of the Stoli Group ‘will have to explain exactly how the deal was orchestrated,’ with Shefler possibly taking to the stand as well.
Jolie had sold her stake of the winery to the group’s wine division called Tenute del Mondo.
The Daily Mail revealed earlier this week that the California Court of Appeal reversed a lower court decision that had allowed Shefler to walk away from the lawsuit by claiming he had little involvement in the $64 million deal that made him Pitt’s unwilling business partner.
‘Angelina knew Brad didn’t want to sell her share of Miraval to Shefler, and she had agreed with Brad that he would have first right of refusal. So selling to Shefler behind Brad’s back was spiteful,’ an insider told the Daily Mail.
‘This was payback after the custody dispute. And now Shefler will have to divulge what really happened behind the scenes and how the deal was orchestrated.’
The Maleficent actress is instead ‘looking forward to defeating the case at trial next year so that their family can finally focus their energies on healing and moving on’; seen in 2025 in Spain
But an insider close to the Hollywood actor stated that his legal victories in the ongoing case are ‘another step towards transparency over what took place’; the vineyard seen above
‘This was payback after the custody dispute. And now Shefler will have to divulge what really happened behind the scenes and how the deal was orchestrated,’ an insider told the Daily Mail; seen in 2025 in Mexico City
The unanimous ruling, handed down by a three-judge panel on Wednesday, found that Shefler had ‘purposefully availed himself’ of California jurisdiction.
‘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 wrote.
Shefler, the billionaire behind Cyprus-registered SPI Group and its Dutch subsidiary Tenute del Mondo, had argued he was a Swiss resident who played no role in the six-month negotiation that saw Jolie quietly sell her 50 percent stake to his company in September 2021.
The lower court had sided with Shefler, finding that because negotiations were conducted between European representatives in Europe over a French vineyard, California could not exercise jurisdiction over him.
But the appeals court dismantled that argument, finding that Shefler had personally guaranteed $39 million of his own funds to secure Jolie’s installment payments.
He even sent her direct letters thanking her for ‘accepting my offer,’ and instructed his lieutenants throughout the deal.
His own staff referred to him as ‘The Founder’ and ‘Mr. S’ in internal emails as they scrambled to manage Pitt’s furious reaction to the acquisition.
In one letter, Shefler even thanked Jolie for her ‘trust in me and my company. I can assure you that Miraval is safe with me.’
But the appeals court dismantled that argument, finding that Shefler had personally guaranteed $39 million of his own funds to secure Jolie’s installment payments; seen in 2025 in Rome
‘I would also like to thank you for your willingness to assist in resolving potential issues with the remaining shareholders of the company,’ he added.
‘Obviously this is a unique transaction and in certain respects it is not as straightforward as we would all like it to be.’
In another internal email, sent while Jolie was still allegedly stalling over signing an exclusivity agreement, an aide told her Luxembourg-based attorney that ‘Mr Shefler is considering that advice’ on whether to withdraw.
Pitt first sued Jolie in February 2022, alleging she had secretly sold her half of their beloved Provençal estate, where the former couple married in 2014, without his consent.
He claimed that he and Jolie had an implied agreement that neither would sell their share to a third party without the other’s approval, a deal Jolie’s side has denied ever existed.
In his lawsuit, Pitt alleged that Shefler had ‘orchestrated the purchase in secret to facilitate the breach of Pitt’s rights and to prevent him from protecting or exercising his rights.’
Shefler reached out to Pitt directly by letter in October 2021 hoping to smooth things over, expressing hope that Pitt would accept ‘there is a new partner.’ Pitt refused.
Shefler had purchased a California company – Nouvel LLC, the entity Jolie used to hold her Miraval interest – from a California resident.
The purchase agreement and the exclusivity agreement that preceded it were both governed by California law with California forum-selection clauses.
Pitt first sued Jolie in February 2022, alleging she had secretly sold her half of their beloved Provençal estate, where the former couple married in 2014, without his consent; seen in 2015 in Hollywood
In his lawsuit, Pitt alleged that Shefler had ‘orchestrated the purchase in secret to facilitate the breach of Pitt’s rights and to prevent him from protecting or exercising his rights; Pitt seen on Thursday in Inglewood
His $39 million bank guarantee was addressed to Jolie, care of her Los Angeles-based business manager Terry Bird.
‘It was these contacts by Shefler with California in purchasing a California company from a California resident that caused the injury to another California resident and California company that is the subject of the lawsuit,’ the court ruled.
The two film stars have been locked in a bitter battle over the vineyard and winery ever since, with Jolie’s cross-complaint accusing Pitt of waging a ‘vindictive war’ against her that has devalued Miraval and blocked her company from participating in its management.
The ruling paves the way for Shefler to face trial alongside the other defendants, creating a showdown with both Jolie and Pitt in court.
The case, now involving a combined estate valuation of approximately $164 million, is scheduled for trial on February 1, 2027, with mediation ordered for October 28; Jolie seen earlier this month in NYC
The case, now involving a combined estate valuation of approximately $164 million, is scheduled for trial on February 1, 2027, with mediation ordered for October 28.
Pitt and Jolie were previously married from 2014 until their split two years later. The divorce became legal in 2019.
And in late 2024, it was revealed that the former couple had reached a divorce settlement following a lengthy, eight-year battle. However, the legal dispute over their French winery rages on.
The two stars share three biological children Shiloh, 20, as well as twins Knox and Vivienne, 17. The pair also share Maddox, 24, Pax, 22 and Zahara, 21.
