Jolie's Lawyer Accuses Pitt of Demanding 'Harassing Information'

Angelina Jolie's lawyer has accused Brad Pitt of attempting to control her and the narrative surrounding their legal disputes, following a judge's tentative ruling that denied Pitt's request for Jolie to produce financial records.

Pitt's legal team had sought financial documents from 2017 to 2019, asserting that Jolie had agreed to provide records for that period but only supplied documents for 2020 and 2021. The filings stated that Jolie's cross-complaint alleged she had put her career on hold and forwent years of compensation after their 2016 separation, and that Pitt possessed substantial leverage due to her financial condition. Pitt's lawyers contended that Jolie's decision to sell her stake in their winery, Chateau Miraval, was influenced by this leverage and sought financial information to bear on these assertions.

Jolie's lawyer responded forcefully, stating in a provided comment that Pitt's "unyielding demand for harassing information is just the latest manifestation of his attempts to control her and the narratives in this case." The lawyer added that Jolie's objective is to untangle her personal and financial life from her ex-husband, asserting that Pitt attempted to use her exit from Miraval as leverage to force an NDA to cover up alleged abuse.

The judge denied Pitt's motions to compel financial records but granted him the ability to renew the motions if Jolie's income or financial condition from 2017 to 2019 becomes relevant during her testimony. Jolie's team had previously argued that delving into her finances from those years constituted a "serious invasion" of her privacy rights, noting she had already provided tax returns and profit participation statements for 2020 and 2021.

The legal battle between Jolie and Pitt, once a high-profile Hollywood couple, has continued since their 2016 separation, involving disputes over child custody and their jointly owned winery. Several of their children have since dropped Pitt's last name.