Angelina Jolie Addresses “Painful Events” Leading to Brad Pitt Divorce | E! News
Angelina Jolie is looking back at what
led to her breakup with Brad Pitt.
Amid the Oscar winner's legal battle with her ex
over the sale of her interests in their once-shared French
winery, Chateau Miraval, Jolie said
that neither she nor their six kids
have visited the estate since she filed for divorce in 2016.
Jolie writes in a personal declaration submitted
to a California court October 9 and obtained by E! News,
the events leading to my need to separate from my ex-husband
were emotionally difficult for me and our children.
Upon filing for divorce, I left him control and full residency
of our family homes in Los Angeles and at Miraval
without compensation, which I hoped
would make him calmer in his dealings with me
after a difficult and traumatic period.
She continues, to this day, the children and I
have never again set foot on the property,
given its connection to the painful events leading
to the divorce.
Jolie does not detail the events,
though she filed for divorce in September 2016
following a transatlantic flight with Pitt and their kids,
during which she alleged that the actor verbally
and physically assaulted her and one of their children.
Pitt has denied the allegations.
In her court documents over Miraval,
Jolie says she and Pitt began to have on-again,
off-again discussions in early 2017 about him
buying her shares in the winery.
Angelina recalled, these discussions
were always difficult for me due to my deep emotional ties
to our family home there and how our relationship ended.
Miraval was one of the first major investments
we made together, and it was a focal point of our family life.
We were married there, I spent part of my pregnancy there,
and I brought our twin children home there from the hospital.
To have such a sudden break from my home and memories
has been hard, and it was especially
difficult for the children to have their lives so disrupted.
Jolie said Pitt eventually offered
to purchase her shares under the condition
that she agree to an expanded NDA.
The nondisclosure agreement, Jolie alleged,
would silence her from speaking about the events leading up
to their divorce.
She writes in her declaration, as the mother of our children
as well as an advocate for victims
of violence around the world, I found
his demand extremely painful.
The actress says she ultimately could not
agree to this coercive demand and notified Pitt
and his attorneys that she planned
on selling her shares of Miraval to a third party instead.
Jolie finalized her deal with Stolle Group's Tenuta del
Mondo in 2021.
The following year, Pitt filed a lawsuit
against his former wife, alleging
that she sold her interest without his permission.
As part of the lawsuit, the actor
requested to see private messages sent by Jolie,
alleging that it contained information showing
that his ex acted with malice in selling her shares to Stolle
Group.
In her personal statement to the court,
Jolie argued that her private messages fell
under attorney-client privilege.
She wrote, I understand that Brad has filed a motion where
he seeks to compel me to produce emails and documents discussing
legal advice or legal strategy from my attorneys,
adding that what was discussed in the messages
were intended to be a confidential communication.
E! News has reached out to Pitt's rep
for comment on Jolie's latest filing, but hasn't heard back.