Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have experienced one of the most public divorces of our time. From battling over custody of their six children to property settlements, their relationship breakdown quickly turned nasty, causing them to endure a long four-and-a-half year battle.
In February of this year, Pitt sued Jolie for selling her shares of the French vineyard in which they wed. Back in 2008, the pair bought a controlling stake of Chateau Miraval in southern France, before getting married there six years later. After filing for divorce in 2016 citing ‘irreconcilable differences’, the high-profile couple have been tied up in litigations ever since.
According to the lawsuit filed by Pitt, the former-spouses had “agreed they would never sell their respective interests in Miraval without the other’s consent.” In a legal document obtained by the AFP, Jolie sold her stake to “Luxembourg-based spirits manufacturer controlled by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler,” in October 2021. Shefler also produces the flagship Russian vodka brand Stolichnaya, rebranded as Stoli.
Pitt believes that Jolie is trying to damage both him and his vineyard, by selling her shares to a ‘Russian oligarch’ with ‘poisonous intentions.’ According to The Daily Mail, Pitt believes that Shefler has the intention to take total control of the multi-million dollar business which he worked so hard to build.
According to papers exclusively obtained by The Daily Mail, the Stoli brand is ‘now a massive international liability’ after it has made ‘desperate attempts to disassociate from the Putin regime.’
Stolichnaya has been boycotted globally, with the US Treasury Department labelling Shefler an “oligarch in the Russian Federation”, according to the documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 3.
The filing then alleges that Jolie had broken the terms of their original agreement by not offering Pitt her shares first, before claiming that she is seeking to “recover unearned windfall profits for herself while inflicting gratuitous harm on Pitt.”
“Jolie long ago stopped contributing to Miraval — while Pitt poured money and sweat equity into the wine business, building it into the ascendant company it is today,” the document continues.
After purchasing the vineyard in 2008, the lawsuit described it as a “small, unprofitable wine business” that was “in need of renovation.” While the pair initially paid around $AU39 million, Pitt is said to have contributed 60%, while Jolie only paid 40%. Pitt is then said to have paid for the renovations, on the understanding that Jolie would not pull out of the investment without his consent.
Following the renovations, Pitt then brought in one of France’s top winemakers, Marc Perrin to enhance the business, with revenues reportedly growing from $3 million in 2013 to $50 million last year.
When news broke regarding the lawsuit, Jolie’s lawyers said that she was on a long-haul international flight with their children, and doesn’t have access to her phone. At the time, the actress hadn’t yet been served with the suit, and learned about it through the media.
The filing also claims that Jolie sold her shares in retaliation to an impending judge ruling on granting Pitt 50/50 custody of their children.
A source told The Daily Mail that Jolie was ‘livid’ and ‘vindictive’ over the decision, which has since been rescinded.
The drinks company which purchased Jolie’s share have said that it “chose to invest in Miraval as it is an exceptional wine and brand that complements our portfolio.”
In July 2022, Page Six reported that Jolie won the right to subpoena business documents that Pitt’s company (Mondo Bongo) has allegedly been hesitant to share.
Pitt’s side apparently fought quite hard to have the court deny Jolie’s request for the papers and correspondence, but have failed in their attempts to do so.
The legal battle continues.
