Brad Pitt Wins Key Arguments in Miraval Fight with Angelina Jolie, Case Proceeds Toward Trial

11/11/2024 03:58 PM

A source close to Brad Pitt tells PEOPLE the court ruling "is a clear victory for Brad" in his lawsuit against Angelina Jolie over a French winery they co-owned

Brad Pitt just secured an important win in his ongoing legal battle with ex-wifeAngelina Jolie over the French winery Château Miraval.

In new court documents filed on Friday, Nov. 8 and obtained by PEOPLE on Monday, Nov. 11, judge Lia Martin of Los Angeles County Superior Court dismissed three demurrers — otherwise known as motions to dismiss — recently filed by Jolie's legal team related to Pitt's own assertions in court that Jolie violated a verbal and written agreement to not sell their stakes in Miraval without both parties' permission. 

The ruling was made in response to Jolie's requests to dismiss three separate causes of action Pitt made in a complaint filed in the case back in April, in which Pitt's attorneys asserted that the former couple's companies, Mongo Bongo and Nouvel, "entered into a written agreement in 2013 to give each other a right of first refusal over any sale of their respective interests in Miraval" and that the written agreement "precluded Mondo Bongo and Nouvel from selling their interests without the other's consent."

This written agreement between the two companies, Pitt's lawyers asserted in the April complaint, related to any sale of Miraval existed in addition to a verbal agreement between Jolie and Pitt to gain the other's consent before selling their stakes in the winery. According to the Nov. 8 ruling, Jolie has 30 days to respond.

"This is a clear victory for Brad which demonstrates the legitimacy of his claims and demonstrates yet again the other side's talk is not backed up with substance," a source close to Pitt tells PEOPLE.

Related: Brad Pitt and Girlfriend Ines de Ramon Spend Date Night at Leonardo DiCaprio's Milestone 50th Birthday Party

Pitt, 60, originally sued Jolie, 49, for selling her stake in Château Miraval to a third party, Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group, in 2022. The legal battle has overlapped at times with a separate conflict regarding the custody of their children, half of whom have now reached legal age: Maddox, 23, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and 16-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Jolie and Pitt began dating in the mid-2000s after they met on the set of their 2005 movie Mr. And Mrs. Smith and married on August. 23, 2014. Jolie filed for divorce on Sept. 20, 2016. 

Related: Don't Expect to See Angelina Jolie in a Romantic Comedy Anytime Soon: 'I Don't Know How Good I'd Be'

Back in August, a source told PEOPLE that Jolie is "actively moving beyond the past" days after she ended her legal battle against the Department of Justice and the FBI over documents connected to the alleged 2016 plane incident between her and Pitt. 

"Being stuck in the past is not anything that Angie wants," the source added at the time. "She wants to focus on her family, work and the future. These are all things that make her happy."