Angelina Jolie detailed just how difficult her divorce from ex-husband Brad Pitt was on her in a new court filing for the exes’ ongoing legal battle over their home in France, Château Miraval.
The movie star spoke on the split in a declaration filed Monday at the Los Angeles Superior Court in response to her ex’s request that she turn over private messages about their château dispute.
“The events leading to my need to separate from my ex-husband were emotionally difficult for me and our children,” Jolie — who has accused Pitt of abuse in the past — alleged in the docs obtained by Page Six.
“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.”
The “Maria” star, 50, further claimed that she and her kids — Maddox, 24, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and twins Knox and Vivienne, both 17 — “have never again set foot” at Miraval given its “connection to the painful events leading to the divorce.”
“Post-separation, I immediately began to look for a new house for me and our children, initially renting a home while looking for a more stable solution,” she added.
Pitt, 61, is suing Jolie for her stake in the lavish French property, as he claimed she sold her share to the wine division of the Stoli Group without his permission. Jolie claimed she did not need his permission.
The “Maleficent” star explained in her declaration that her savings were “tied up in Miraval,” and she hadn’t asked the “Fight Club” actor for “alimony or any other financial support,” so she needed the funds from the château.
“I was also very concerned about the health of our children, and so, for approximately two years, I declined work so that I could focus my attention on caring for our children and their recovery,” she added.
Jolie claimed she was so financially strained that she could not even afford to buy a home “outright” for herself and her children in Los Angeles, so Pitt allegedly agreed to loan her money “with interest.”
The matriarch claimed that in early 2017 she entertained discussions with her ex about selling her Miraval stake to him, but the talks were “always difficult” for her due to her “deep emotional ties” to their family home and “how [their] relationship ended,” per the filing.
“Miraval was one of the first major investments we made together, and it was a focal point of our family life,” she said. “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, and it was especially difficult for the children to have their lives so disrupted.”
Jolie also told the court that she is seeking $33,000 from Pitt to cover legal fees she was required to pay in order for her to respond to the “F1” star’s motion to have her turn over her messages.
“Jolie, through counsel, repeatedly asked Pitt to withdraw [the motion],” her lawyers argued in the docs.
“She even warned him numerous times that if the Court denied Pitt’s motion, Jolie would ask the Court to order Pitt to pay Jolie’s attorneys’ fees opposing the motion.”
The attorneys continued, “Pitt still refused to withdraw it. Jolie thus requests that the Court order Pitt to reimburse her for the substantial attorneys’ fees she was forced to incur.”
Pitt claimed in court docs filed in July that he was demanding the messages because Alexei Oliynik of Stoli Group had allegedly refused to comply with deposition demands. A source reiterated and alleged to Page Six at the time, “They’ve been failing to comply with the typical legal process.”
In August 2024, Page Six exclusively learned the whole reason the A-list star was fighting for Jolie’s stake in the first place was for the future financial well-being of his kids, from who he is currently estranged.
“It’s important that people realize that Brad’s motivation is to ensure that his kids can maximize the benefit of this asset,” an insider told us at the time. “Once it was sold, that’s no longer the case and it significantly decreased their inheritance.”
A source tells Page Six in response to Jolie’s declaration, “This is a commercial business dispute that is not a part of the divorce,” adding that it’s “unfortunate but not surprising” that “excuses” are being made “for failing to share emails as part of discovery.”
Page Six has reached out to Pitt’s reps for comment.
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