Angelina Jolie Source Claims Brad Pitt Is Using Latest in Winery Legal Battle to 'Punish Her for Leaving'
A Pitt source pushed back on the claims, telling PEOPLE "The other side introduced the NDA issue into what is a straightforward business dispute"
Brad Pitt's legal quest for Angelina Jolie to disclose her past non-disclosure agreements in their Château Miraval court case is a way to "punish" her, a source claims.
The source close to Jolie, 48, tells PEOPLE that Pitt, 60, "and his team know that these NDAs are never going to see the light of day at trial," amid a judge's recent order that the actress must produce eight years' worth of NDAs.
Rather, "this is all for the press," the source adds. "They also know that this will force Angelina to spend resources tracking all of this information down, which is just another way to drain her resources and punish her for leaving."
A Pitt source pushes back on those claims, telling PEOPLE. “The other side introduced the NDA issue into what is a straightforward business dispute, so it's ironic that they are now complaining about it," the source says, adding, "And they are the ones who were greatly enriched from violating the parties' agreement in selling the business.”
Judge Lia Martin ruled in Los Angeles Superior Court that Jolie must "produce, within 60 calendar days of this Order, all non-privileged documents in her possession, custody or control that are responsive to" Pitt's requests in a previously filed action, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Pitt's attorneys are calling for the disclosure of Jolie's NDAs since they feel it is "highly relevant" to her "purported justifications for refusing to adhere to her contractual obligations to Pitt" when she sold her winery shares.
A source close to the Fight Club actor called the ruling a "significant blow to the credibility" of Jolie's claims and a "strong statement challenging them to match their rhetoric with actual facts, which they consistently have been not been able to do."
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“This is a business dispute that they have made unnecessarily personal and they are now being held accountable," said that source.
However, Jolie's lawyer Paul Murphy said that the actress's legal team is "more than happy to turn [NDAs] over."
“Common NDAs are simply not comparable to Mr. Pitt’s last-second demand to try and cover up his personal misconduct," said Murphy, adding that they are "gratified that the Court acknowledged that the only potential relevance is to the unconscionability of Mr. Pitt’s conduct, a now confirmed key issue in this case."
Related: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 6 Kids: Everything to Know
Murphy went on to say the ruling "opens the door to discovery" issues related to Pitt’s alleged abuse and "we welcome that transparency in all parties’ discovery responses."
"Angelina looks forward to the eventual end of this litigation with its false narratives that continue to hurt the family and interfere with their ability to heal," the attorney concluded.
In his previous action, Pitt's legal team accused Jolie of having "refused to produce any documents other than those (if any) concerning such an agreement between" herself and Pitt. The request also included "any NDA between Jolie and any third party with whom she is in a relationship or who has assisted with the care of the couple’s children."
The judge's order outlines that "the production is limited in scope of time to calendar years 2014 through February 17, 2022 (when this action was filed)," with Judge Martin dismissing Jolie’s objections that her own NDAs had no relevance.
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