Originally appeared on E! Online
Angelina Jolie is looking back at what led her to break up 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 Château Miraval, Jolie said that neither she or their six kids — Maddox, 24, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, as well as twins Vivienne and Knox, 17 — have visited the estate since she filed for divorce in 2016.
“The events leading to my need to separate from my ex-husband were emotionally difficult for me and our children,” Jolie wrote in a personal declaration submitted to a California court Oct. 9 and obtained by E! News. “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 continued, “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.”
READ Brad Pitt Requests Private Messages Amid Angelina Jolie Legal Battle Over Winery
Jolie did 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 in court filings 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 said she and Pitt began “to have on-again, off-again discussions” in early 2017 about him buying her shares in the winery.
“These discussions were always difficult for me, due to my deep emotional ties to our family home there and how our relationship ended,” Jolie recalled. “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,” she continued, “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 non-disclosure agreement, Jolie alleged, would “silence” her from speaking about the events leading up to their divorce.
“As the mother of our children, as well as an advocate for victims of violence around the world,” Jolie wrote in her court declaration, “I found his demand extremely painful.”
The “Eternals” actress said 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 Stoli Group’s Tenute del Mondo in 2021. The following year, Pitt filed a lawsuit against his former wife, alleging that she sold her interest without his permission. (Jolie has since filed a countersuit against Pitt, which is ongoing.)
As part of the lawsuit, the “Fight Club” alum 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 Stoli Group. (Jolie has denied this accusation.)
In her personal statement to the court, Jolie argued that her private messages fell under attorney-client privilege.
“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,” she wrote, 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.
PHOTOSShiloh Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Knox Jolie-Pitt
Brad Pitt is breaking his silence about finalizing his divorce from ex-wife Angelina Jolie following an eight-year legal battle.
