Court Orders Vodka Mogul to Face Brad Pitt in Winery Battle

You don’t just drop nearly $40 million on something you know nothing about. That’s the logic the appeals court used to shut down Yuri Shefler’s attempt to wiggle out of Brad Pitt’s winery lawsuit, and frankly, it’s hard to argue with the reasoning.

The head of the Stoli Group tried to claim he had minimal involvement in his company’s purchase of Angelina Jolie’s stake in Château Miraval, hoping to dodge the lawsuit altogether on jurisdictional grounds. But the court essentially called his bluff. In their ruling, the judges noted that it“defies credulity that Shefler, a sophisticated businessman, would risk almost $40 million on a transaction about which he knew nothing and with which he had no involvement.”Translation: Come on, we’re not buying that.

This marks the second major legal win for Brad this month. Earlier, a court already ruled that Stoli Group executive Alexey Oliynik must testify by September 30. The pattern is clear: the court is pulling the key players in this acquisition into the spotlight, and they’re not letting anyone hide behind corporate structure excuses.

Here’s the backstory: Angelina sold her winery stake back in 2021, but Brad filed suit months later, claiming she did it specifically to hurt him during their divorce and custody battle. It’s been dragging on ever since, with Angelina even requesting a trial delay in April—a move Brad has fought against, pushing for the trial to start as scheduled in early 2027. These latest rulings suggest the court wants the facts on the record sooner rather than later. With Shefler now forced to face potential testimony and depositions, the gears of this high-stakes legal machinery are picking up speed. The question now isn’t whether he’ll be involved—it’s what he’ll have to say when he is.