Brad Pitt has accused his ex-wife Angelina Jolie of trying to “harm” him by selling her stake in their co-owned vineyard to a Russian oligarch.
According to new legal documents, the sale launched a “hostile” takeover of the wine business that the Brad had “carefully built”, and forced him into a partnership with “a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions”.
In 2008, the former Hollywood couple bought a substantial interest in Chateau Miraval SA, a French company comprising a home and vineyard in the south of France.
Brad’s lawyers stated that under his stewardship, the business boomed into a “multimillion-dollar international success story”, though Angelina had “contributed nothing” to it.
According to the lawsuit, Angelina sold her stake to a Luxembourg-based spirits manufacturer controlled by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler, without Brad knowing.
Documents obtained by the PA news agency said: “Through the purported sale, Jolie sought to inflict harm on Pitt.”
They claimed “Jolie knew and intended that Shefler and his affiliates would try to control the business Pitt had built and to undermine Pitt’s investment in Miraval.”
The documents added that Shefler “has gained notoriety through cutthroat business tactics and dubious professional associations” and the association with him “jeopardises the reputation of the brand Pitt so carefully built”.
“All of this is the direct result of Jolie’s unlawful and tortious conduct,” it continued.
“In violation of the parties’ agreement, Jolie has sought to force Pitt into partnership with a stranger, and worse yet, a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions.”
The former couple bought the Miraval estate, which is located in the village of Correns in south-eastern France, for around €25 million.
According to the legal doucments, Brad contributed 60% to the purchase price, whilst Angelina made up the remaining 40%.
Lawyers have said that the business continues to flourish, and “though she benefited from Miraval’s success, Jolie had no involvement in these efforts”.
Angelina reportedly told Brad in January 2021 of her intention to sell her stakes in the business, saying she had reached “painful decision, with a heavy heart”.
Angelina filed for divorce from Brad in September 2016 following two years of marriage.
The former couple share six children; Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.
