Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's $50 million defamation trial may have been the most highly publicized legal battle this year, but it was certainly not the only one ensuing in Hollywood. Brad Pitt and his ex-wife, Eternals star Angelina Jolie, have also been duking it out behind the scenes, and some reports say their case could very well result in a jury trial.
The former couple filed for divorce in the latter part of 2016, with Jolie claiming that she and Pitt had "irreconcilable differences." They made their split official three years later, around the time when Jolie had been cast in Marvel Studios' Eternals. Since then, both stars have been engaged in long-winded lawsuits that involve various issues between them, including custody of their children and Jolie's sale of shares of their France-based wine company.
Together, they had purchased a controlling stake in Château Miraval, the French vineyard where they got married in 2014. But after their divorce, Jolie sold her share of the winery to Tenute del Mondo, which pushed Pitt to file a lawsuit against her at the Lost Angeles County Superior Court earlier this month. According to the Bullet Train star, Jolie's sale was an intentional act to "inflict harm" on him, since they had previously promised each other that they would not sell their interests in the company without first seeking each other's consent. He also added that he was largely responsible for growing Château Miraval into a successful, multimillion-dollar global business, while Jolie contributed absolutely nothing to the endeavor.
Pitt's documents state that he is seeking to fight Jolie on the matter in a trial by jury, with hopes that he can win damages and void the sale altogether. Their situation has been drawing comparisons to Depp and Heard's courtroom drama, which ultimately resulted in a victory for the Pirates of the Caribbean star. While it's unclear whether the defamation case had any influence on Pitt's decision to pursue Jolie legally in court, it's probably unlikely that it did since he has been in and out of disputes with her for years now.
That said, some fans have encouraged Pitt to take it a step further and sue Jolie for defamation, especially now that Depp and Heard have set a precedent for it. Pitt's filing has sparked somewhat of a movement on Twitter, with the hashtag #JusticeForBradPitt having trended shortly after a verdict was reached for Depp and Heard's defamation case. Jolie has since spoken out against Pitt, saying that his claims about the winery are "false" and that the "truth" will soon be revealed.
Eternals is now streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: brosandprose/Twitter, Newsweek