Angelina Jolie is contesting Brad Pitt’s request for NDAs, calling the request ‘abusive’
Angelina Jolie’s war with ex Brad Pitt over $500M winery heats up as lawyers calls actor’s request for NDAs ‘abusive’ https://t.co/H0felTwzUG pic.twitter.com/uDTiOfXg6a
- Page Six (@PageSix) April 26, 2024
Attorneys for Brad Pitt asked L.A. Superior Court to disclose any NDAs from any third parties- including movie studios, brands, and employees- and other sensitive information regarding Angelina Jolie earlier this month. Pitt is allegedly doing this in an apparent effort to shed light on whether his NDA request was “the deal-ender [Jolie] subsequently alleged it to be” when selling her vineyard shares.
“By their nature, Pitt’s Requests seek to intrude on Jolie’s privacy,” says Jolie’s new filing, per Page Six. “The Requests seek contracts between Jolie (or any of her entities) and any other person or entity. Most, if not all, of these agreements will be employment-related contracts that include Jolie’s compensation or compensation she paid to third parties.”
Jolie’s lawyers added that the request is irrelevant to the Miraval deal, saying, “Forcing Jolie to spend the time and expense of gathering and producing all of this documentation is expensive, wasteful, and unreasonable - and the latest manifestation of Pitt’s abusive conduct toward Jolie. The Court should not allow it.”
Jolie has argued in court docs that Pitt asked her to sign an expansive NDA in their scuttled Miraval deal because he was trying to silence her from speaking about allegations he was abusive to Jolie and their family, including on a flight from France to California in 2016. Jolie’s lawyers said: “While Pitt’s history of physical abuse of Jolie started well before the family’s September 2016 plane trip from France to Los Angeles, this flight marked the first time he turned his physical abuse on the children as well. Jolie then immediately left him.”
Jolie’s lawyers continue in these new court documents: “Pitt apparently intends to argue that, over the past two decades, Jolie had or at least considered other NDAs with other people and entities, about other matters not in any way connected with Pitt’s abuse. He says he wants to argue that since Jolie considered and/or entered other NDAs over her lengthy career, his proposed NDA covering his spousal and child abuse couldn’t possibly have been the reason the deal collapsed.”
Jolie’s lawyers further state: “To effectuate this plan, Pitt now demands that Jolie review every contract she has ever considered or entered over the last two decades to see if any contained any form of NDA (both non-disparagement and non-disclosure).”
Jolie’s side argues turning over such exhaustive documents would also reveal private info on others, violating their rights, saying, "These third parties have their own privacy rights, and Pitt is not giving them any notice whatsoever to allow them to protect their rights."
Jolie’s team further states in their arguments that: “Pitt’s motion illustrates the harm and humiliation victims of domestic violence face in Court. Because Jolie dares to raise the issue as a defense in this case, Pitt seeks to dig up nearly two decades of contractual relationships to supposedly ‘impeach’ her reaction to Pitt’s attempt to cover up his abuse.”
The papers also state: “Pitt wants to argue that Jolie entered NDAs with others, so there was no harm in Pitt demanding an NDA to cover his abuse. But there is a fundamental and obvious difference: In none of those other NDAs was Pitt trying to silence abuse of his own family. The Court should not validate this dangerous argument. This case will be decided by evidence concerning Miraval and the dealings between Pitt and Jolie - not by Jolie’s dealings with third parties on topics having nothing to do with Miraval’s sale. Pitt’s motion should be denied.”
Paul Murphy, an attorney for Angelina Jolie, told Page Six, “For Pitt to equate common NDAs covering confidential information employees learn at work, with him attempting to cover up his history of abuse, is shameful. This case is not about NDAs in general, but is about power and privilege. All Angelina wanted was separation and health. He seems to always insist on a continuance of a fight. She deserves peace after all these years.”.
Per documents previously obtained by Page Six in 2023, Pitt previously alleged his “vindictive” ex-wife sold her shares of Château Miraval in spite of him after he was granted joint custody of their six children, though the decision was later overturned.
A source familiar with Pitt told Page Six of Jolie’s most recent filing, “This is a basic business dispute over Miraval into which she has repeatedly injected personal matters that have nothing to do with the case and are detrimental to the family.”
The source added: “All that Brad requested was a totally limited standard non-disparagement agreement to protect the value of Miraval, for which he was ready to spend tens of millions of to keep in the family.”
A full trial is not expected this year. Pitt has requested trial by jury.
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