Appeals Court Orders Shefler to Join Pitt-Jolie Winery Suit

Brad Pitt has secured a significant procedural victory in his long-running legal dispute with ex-wife Angelina Jolie over their former French winery, Château Miraval. A California appeals court ruled on June 24 that Russian businessman Yuri Shefler, whose company purchased Jolie’s stake, can be compelled to participate in the lawsuit, reversing a lower court’s decision.

The litigation centers on Jolie’s 2021 sale of her interest in the winery to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group, which is controlled by Shefler. Pitt filed suit in 2022, alleging the sale violated a mutual agreement requiring both parties' consent for any transfer. He has argued that partnering with the Stoli Group, which he has described as a Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate, damaged the business's reputation, particularly following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Court of Appeal found that Shefler had sufficient contacts with California for the state's courts to have jurisdiction over him. The ruling stated that the agreement to purchase Jolie’s shares was governed by California law and that Shefler’s actions in buying a California company from a California resident caused the injury...