Angelina Jolie war with Brad Pitt over sale of lavish French wine estate turns in Brad's favor as secretive vodka billionaire buyer forced to testify

By EMMA JAMES, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 20:18, 25 June 2026 | Updated: 20:21, 25 June 2026 Brad Pitt will get to go face to face with the secretive vodka billionaire who bought Angelina Jolie's stake in their Chateau Miraval vineyard, in yet another legal victory for the actor, the Daily Mail can reveal. The California Court of Appeal reversed a lower court decision that had allowed Yuri Shefler - the Swiss-based owner of the Stolichnaya vodka empire - to walk away from the lawsuit by claiming he had little involvement in the $64 million deal that made him Pitt's unwilling business partner. It is the latest major legal victory in Pitt’s lengthy and bitter battle over the wine estate with his ex-wife. ‘Angelina knew Brad didn’t want to sell her share of Miraval to Shefler, and she had agreed with Brad that he would have first right of refusal. So selling to Shefler behind Brad’s back was spiteful,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘This was payback after the custody dispute. And now Shefler will have to divulge what really happened behind the scenes and how the deal was orchestrated.’ The unanimous ruling, handed down by a three-judge panel on Wednesday, found that Shefler had ‘purposefully availed himself’ of California jurisdiction. ‘It defies credulity that Shefler, a sophisticated businessman, would risk almost $40 million on a transaction about which he knew nothing and with which he had no involvement,’ the court wrote. Shefler, the billionaire behind Cyprus-registered SPI Group and its Dutch subsidiary Tenute del Mondo, had argued he was a Swiss resident who played no role in the six-month negotiation that saw Jolie quietly sell her 50 percent stake to his company in September 2021. Brad Pitt scored another legal victory in his bitter battle with ex-wife Angelina Jolie (pictured together in 2014) over the sale of their Chateau Miraval vineyard after a Russian oligarch partner was ordered to testify. The California Court of Appeal this week reversed a lower court decision that had allowed Yuri Shefler, who bought Jolie's stake in the Chateau Miraval vineyard, to walk away from Pitt's lawsuit by claiming he had little involvement in the $64 million deal Pitt first sued his ex-wife in February 2022, alleging she secretly sold her half of their beloved Provençal estate (above) - where the former couple married in 2014 - without his consent The lower court had sided with Shefler, finding that because negotiations were conducted between European representatives in Europe over a French vineyard, California could not exercise jurisdiction over him. But the appeals court dismantled that argument, finding that Shefler had personally guaranteed $39 million of his own funds to secure Jolie's installment payments. He even sent her direct letters thanking her for ‘accepting my offer,’ and instructed his lieutenants throughout the deal. His own staff referred to him as ‘The Founder’ and ‘Mr. S’ in internal emails as they scrambled to manage Pitt's furious reaction to the acquisition. In one letter, Shefler even thanked Jolie for her ‘trust in me and my company. I can assure you that Miraval is safe with me.’ ‘I would also like to thank you for your willingness to assist in resolving potential issues with the remaining shareholders of the company,' he added. ‘Obviously this is a unique transaction and in certain respects it is not as straightforward as we would all like it to be.’ In another internal email, sent while Jolie was still allegedly stalling over signing an exclusivity agreement, an aide told her Luxembourg-based attorney that ‘Mr Shefler is considering that advice’ on whether to withdraw.  Pitt, 61, first sued Jolie, 50, in February 2022, alleging she had secretly sold her half of their beloved Provençal estate - where the former couple married in 2014 - without his consent.  Pitt, pictured at the estate, claims he and Jolie had an implied agreement that neither would sell their share of the property to a third party without the other's approval. Jolie's side, howeverm has denied the deal ever existed Jolie, for her part, has accused Pitt of waging a ‘vindictive war’ against her that has devalued the Chateau Miraval estate (above) and blocked her company from participating in its management He claims that he and Jolie had an implied agreement that neither would sell their share to a third party without the other's approval - a deal Jolie's side has denied ever existed. In his lawsuit, Pitt alleged that Shefler had ‘orchestrated the purchase in secret to facilitate the breach of Pitt's rights and to prevent him from protecting or exercising his rights.’ Shefler reached out to Pitt directly by letter in October 2021 hoping to smooth things over, expressing hope that Pitt would accept ‘there is a new partner.’ Pitt refused. Shefler had purchased a California company - Nouvel LLC, the entity Jolie used to hold her Miraval interest - from a California resident. Shefler, the Swiss-based owner of the Stolichnaya vodka empire, had tried to argue he had little involvement in the $64 million deal - despite personally guaranting $39 million of his own funds The purchase agreement and the exclusivity agreement that preceded it were both governed by California law with California forum-selection clauses. His $39 million bank guarantee was addressed to Jolie, care of her Los Angeles-based business manager Terry Bird. ‘It was these contacts by Shefler with California in purchasing a California company from a California resident that caused the injury to another California resident and California company that is the subject of the lawsuit,’ the court ruled. The two film stars have been locked in a bitter battle over the vineyard and winery ever since, with Jolie's cross-complaint accusing Pitt of waging a ‘vindictive war’ against her that has devalued Miraval and blocked her company from participating in its management. The ruling paves the way for Shefler to face trial alongside the other defendants, creating a showdown with both Jolie and Pitt in court. The case - now involving a combined estate valuation of approximately $164 million - is scheduled for trial on February 1, 2027, with mediation ordered for October 28. Shefler had also been fighting Pitt's attempts to depose him. In March, Pitt filed a motion arguing Shefler played ‘a central rather than passive role’ in the dispute and demanding he sit for questioning. Shefler opposed that request, too, again citing his Swiss residency. The new ruling makes that argument significantly harder to sustain. The development comes just as Jolie opened up about the effect the legal war has taken on her, telling Variety last week that her fighting spirit is finally back’ after admitting she had been ‘taken down a little bit.’  The Maleficent actress, pictured in New York City on June 16, has been locked in a bitter legal spat with her ex for years Jolie has argued in court filings that she and her children have never set foot on the Chateau Miraval vineyard since the couple split ‘given its connection to the painful events leading to the divorce’ She declined to name Pitt directly but said: ‘They know me more than anybody, and they still like me, which says a lot’ - a pointed reference to her children. The Maleficent actress also argued in court filings that she and the children have never set foot on Miraval since the split ‘given its connection to the painful events leading to the divorce.’ She also said she handed Pitt full control of their family homes ‘without compensation, which I hoped would make him calmer in his dealings with me after a difficult and traumatic period.’ The roots of the split trace back to a September 2016 flight from France to Los Angeles that Jolie has described as violent. In a court filing, she alleged Pitt grabbed her by the head, shoved her against a bathroom wall, and struck one of their children. Pitt has disputed her account. He also won a ruling in March rejecting claims his suit was ‘frivolous, malicious, and part of a problematic pattern.’ In December, a judge ordered Jolie to hand over 22 documents - emails and internal communications her team had sought to shield as attorney-client privileged - after Pitt argued they were nothing more than ‘business gossip’ between Jolie and her trusted aides. In the wake of the latest legal development, Jolie's attorney Paul Murphy told the Daily Mail that 'the ruling has no impact on the merits of the case, and certainly has no impact on Ms Jolie’s case.' 'At this point, Ms Jolie is just looking forward to defeating the case at trial next year so that their family can finally focus their energies on healing and moving on,' he added.  Representatives for Shefler did not immediately respond to a request for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.