Brad Pitt's legal team frames this as a pursuit of transparency — they want to question someone with direct knowledge of the transaction that Brad claims was conducted without his permission.
Sources close to the situation say this deposition fight is about more than just the winery — it's Brad's way of putting pressure on Angelina and her business dealings, with Yuri Shefler caught in the crossfire between two exes who still can't get along.
Brad sued Angelina in 2022 over the sale of her stake in Chateau Miraval. Emails show direct contact between Angelina and Yuri Shefler over the winery purchase, and Yuri has refused to sit for a deposition despite Brad's legal team arguing he has relevant knowledge.
Brad Pitt isn't letting this go quietly — he's pulling out all the stops to get answers about how his ex-wife sold off their shared asset, and he's dragging a Russian oligarch into the courtroom drama whether he likes it or not.
Brad Pitt is taking his war with Angelina Jolie to the next level — and he's bringing a Russian oligarch into it. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the actor is pushing a Los Angeles judge to force businessman Yuri Shefler to appear for a remote deposition in their ongoing legal battle over the French winery Chateau Miraval.
This whole mess started back in 2022 when Brad sued Angelina, claiming she sold her stake in the prestigious French estate without his permission. The former couple purchased Chateau Miraval together while they were married, but after their divorce, Angelina told Brad she wanted out. Brad tried to buy out her stake himself, but those talks fell through — and instead, Angelina went ahead and sold her share to the liquor company Stoli, which is run by none other than Yuri Shefler.
Now Brad's legal team wants to get answers directly from the source. In his new filing, Brad explains that Yuri has refused to sit for a deposition, but he's learned that "the transaction was orchestrated by, and closed at the behest of" Yuri — making him someone with clear relevant knowledge that should be questioned under oath. The man's basically holding the receipts on a deal Brad claims was shady, and he wants to grill him about it.
Yuri's resistance is partly based on the fact that he's a resident of Switzerland, but Brad isn't buying that excuse. His legal team has dug up emails showing Angelina and Yuri in direct contact over the winery purchase, proving he's not some distant third party — he was right there in the thick of it. This deposition fight is just the latest chapter in what continues to be an ugly, messy split between two of Hollywood's biggest stars — and it looks like it's going to get uglier before it gets better.
