Brad Pitt has won his legal battle with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie over their French vineyard.
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.
The 60-year-old actor is now attempting to reverse Angelina’s sale of her stake in the winery to Russian billionaire, Yuri Shefler.
The U.S Sun has revealed that Brad racked up a win in a French court last week over documents seized by bailiffs in a raid.
A source close to the Mr and Mrs Smith actor said: “There’s a long way to go in this litigation, but at the moment, the momentum is certainly with Brad.”
“In recent months, he’s landed three courtroom wins across three different jurisdictions: Luxembourg, the United States, and now France.”
“From the moment this hostile takeover bid began, he made it clear that he wasn’t going to be bullied – and he meant it.”
“He has stood his ground and will continue to do what is right.”
Last week’s ruling by the court in France was related to a raid at the winery in March 2022.
Court officers seized company documents and IT material after Mr. Shefler made claims of malfeasance and misuse of company assets before a commercial judge.
On Thursday, the Aix-en-Provence appellate court in France issued a further ruling against Mr. Shelfer’s appeal and denied his firm, Nouvel, access to the documents.
Presiding Judge Valerie Gerard ruled that Nouvel had no legal standing to ask for the seizure of documents controlled by SA Chateau Miraval, because it is only an indirect shareholder.
Mr. Shefler’s firm was also ordered to pay €20,000 in legal costs, and it’s believed the documents will now be returned to Chateau Miraval’s safe.
According to past 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.”
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 Mr. Shefler, without Brad knowing.
Documents obtained by the PA news agency said at the time: “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 Mr. 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.
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.
