American actor Brad Pitt has formally requested a court to compel his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, to produce financial records as part of their ongoing legal dispute over the French winery they once jointly owned. The filing, dated July 31, 2025, and obtained by USA TODAY, accuses Jolie of withholding information about her income following their 2016 separation.
Pitt's Allegations Against Jolie
Pitt, 62, claims that Jolie, 51, provided financial documentation for 2020 and 2021 but refused to do so for the years 2017 through 2019. His attorneys argue that Jolie agreed to produce these records but later withdrew her consent, limiting her production to just two years. The court documents state: 'Jolie’s Cross-Complaint alleges that, after the parties’ 2016 separation, she put her career on hold, “forgoing years of compensation”; that Pitt possessed “substantial leverage and control” over her due in part to her financial condition at that time; and that by 2019 she concluded she needed to sell her interest in Miraval to obtain “financial independence” from him.'
Withdrawal of Agreement
According to the filing, on February 23, 2026, Jolie withdrew her agreement to provide declarations and participation statements for the full 2017-2021 period. Instead, she provided supplemental responses limiting production to 2020 and 2021, along with profit participation statements and tax returns for those two years only. Pitt's legal team is now seeking documents that show Jolie's annual income and profit participation statements from 2017 to 2019, arguing that this information is directly relevant to her own claims.
Failed Negotiations
The filing also details failed attempts to resolve the dispute outside court. Pitt's lawyers noted: 'Prior to the IDC, Plaintiffs proposed that Jolie stipulate that she was not under economic pressure before January 1, 2020, and that Pitt did not exert economic coercion on her from 2017 to 2019. Jolie declined.' The court also proposed limiting the scope of Jolie's testimony, but she declined again. The parties therefore did not resolve the dispute.
Legal Basis for the Request
Pitt's attorneys argue that the requested documents are essential to test Jolie's allegations. They explain: 'The Requests seek information directly bearing on financial assertions Jolie pleaded: that she forwent “years of compensation,” that Miraval was her “most important asset,” and that Pitt’s control over Miraval distributions gave him “substantial leverage and control” over her during the period leading to her 2019 decision to sell her stake in Chateau Miraval.'
Specifically, Request No. 81 seeks documents showing Jolie's earned income from her separation through 2019, while Request No. 82 seeks profit-sharing bonuses from her acting and directing roles during that period. The filing states: 'Jolie may be able to establish from public information that she held fewer acting or directing roles from 2017–2019 than she did in prior years. But paragraph 23 of her Cross Complaint goes further: it alleges that she forwent “years of compensation.” Documents showing the earned income and profit participation payments she received during those years will permit Plaintiffs to test the accuracy and context of that allegation.'
Jolie's Response
In a previous legal filing, Jolie hit back at Pitt's characterization of her remarks, claiming she was misquoted. She noted that she has already provided financial records despite having 'no obligation to do so.' The June filing states: 'Pitt claims that Jolie has put her entire financial condition at issue going back to 2017 because of her allegation that she was seeking “financial independence.” But Pitt’s selective quote misleadingly fails to include the entirety of her allegation. Jolie does not allege that she was seeking financial independence in the abstract; she alleges that she was seeking “financial independence from her ex-husband [Pitt].”'
Privacy Concerns
Jolie's legal team also argues that digging into her finances from 2017-2019 poses a 'serious invasion' of her privacy rights. They contend: 'In short, the entire basis for Pitt compelling these answers is a made-up theory that Jolie did not allege. Nevertheless, to narrow the dispute, and although she feels very strongly that she did not have to do this, Jolie already agreed to produce and has in fact produced her tax returns, and all of her profit participation statements showing any income received, for 2020 and 2021. Although Jolie had no obligation to do so, producing these documents should have ended this dispute. These two years of private financial information—leading up to (2020) and during (2021) – the very dispute that is at the center of this case—already provided Pitt all the insight he needs into Jolie’s financial condition. Going back any further is a serious invasion of Jolie’s privacy rights.'
Background of the Dispute
Pitt and Jolie split in 2016, with their divorce finalized in December 2024. The legal battle over Château Miraval, a vineyard in France, has been ongoing, with Jolie selling her stake to a third party in 2021, which Pitt claims violated an agreement. The current dispute centers on whether Pitt can access Jolie's financial records to support his claims about her motivations for selling.
