Brad Pitt Sues Angelina Jolie for Selling Her Share in French Estate CHâteau Miraval Without His Agreement

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's divorce is a messy affair that has been going on for years now. Both of them refuse to reach an agreement. 

The actors were together for about 11 years, including two years of their marriage after which they separated in September 2016 citing “irreconcilable differences”. Though their divorce is finalized, they have been embroiled in several court cases, including the custody of their six children, of whom three are adopted, according to Independent. 

Now, in another court case, Pitt is suing his ex-wife, accusing her of illegally selling off her share of their French estate, Château Miraval, per Page Six. 

Pitt alleges they had agreed not to sell their respective shares of the Château and its profitable vineyard without agreement from the other party. 

But the Inglorious Basterds star claims in the suit that while the vineyard became “Pitt’s passion,” Jolie sold off her share to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler without asking Pitt about it beforehand.

The court documents, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, state, “Jolie consummated the purported sale without Pitt’s knowledge, denying Pitt the consent right she owed him and the right of the first refusal her business entity owed his. She sold her interest with the knowledge and intention that Shefler and his affiliates would seek to control the business to which Pitt had devoted himself and to undermine Pitt’s investment in Miraval.”

Located in the village of Correns in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France, the estate has a 35 rooms mansion surrounded by lush gardens and a vineyard that Pitt says he has invested a huge sum of money in.

When Jolie, 46, and Pitt, 58, bought the estate in 2008 for $28.4 million, they wanted to raise their children there and build a family wine business. The couple tied the knot there in 2014, splitting in 2019.

Pitt developed the vineyard at Miraval a multimillion-dollar business and one of the world’s top producers of rosé wine. But the court papers state that, by 2013, “Jolie stopped contributing altogether” for the renovations, while Pitt “continued to invest millions of dollars … [funding] roughly 70 percent of the couple’s investment in Miraval.”

In January 2021, “Jolie informed Pitt in writing that she had reached a ‘painful decision, with a heavy heart,'” the suit alleges. “Jolie explained she had purchased Miraval with Pitt ‘as a family business and as the place she believed they ‘would grow old together',” the suit continues. “Nevertheless,” Jolie continued, she could “no longer maintain any ownership position in an alcohol-based business given her personal objections.” 

Though Pitt began negotiations to buy out Jolie's share, in October 2021, the wine division of the Stoli Group, Tenute del Mondo—a business controlled by Russian businessman Shefler—announced it purchased Jolie’s 50 percent stake in the estate and the wines it produces.

Pitt claims he can no longer use the Château as his private home, or oversee the company he created and has invested millions of dollars in.

The suit adds, “Jolie seeks 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. Jolie seeks to seize profits she has not earned and returns on an investment she did not make.”

Plus, “The purported sale deprives Pitt of his right to enjoy his private home and to oversee the business he developed from scratch.” Because of Pitt's investments and efforts, “Miraval’s success and an associated rise in value allowed Jolie an opportunity to capitalize on Pitt’s success and cash out, without ever having lifted a finger to grow the enterprise.” 

A source familiar with the situation added, “Unfortunately, this is another example of the same person disregarding her legal and ethical obligations. In doing so, she has violated the rights of the only person who poured money and sweat equity into the success of the business by purporting to sell both the business and family home to a third-party competitor. She is seeking a return on an investment she did not make and profits she did not earn.”

References:

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/brad-pitt-angelina-jolie-chateau-miraval-b2017913.html

https://pagesix.com/2022/02/17/brad-pitt-sues-angelina-jolie-over-french-estate-brad-pitt-sues-angelina-jolie-over-french-chateau-sale/

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Jonathan Leibson