Brad Pitt files lawsuit against Angelina Jolie after she sold her share in French winery Chateau Miraval to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler without telling him: Pitt says new owner makes running vineyard more difficult
- Pitt, 58, says Jolie, 46, did not honor terms they initially agreed to regarding the French winery
- Former couple purchased property in 2008 for $28.4 million
- Pitt said he put far more work and funding into the winery to make it profitable
- Pitt and Jolie wed in 2014 and split in 2016
Brad Pitt is filing a lawsuit against Angelina Jolie over a business transaction she conducted involving Chateau Miraval, the Correns, France winery they had purchased as a couple, of which she subsequently sold her share to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.
The 58-year-old actor, in legal docs reviewed by TMZ, is asking the court to reverse a pact Jolie, 46, made that delivered her share to Stoli Group subsidiary Tenute del Mondo, which is ran by Shefler, and award him damages in connection with the transaction.
The Shawnee, Oklahoma-born actor said in court docs that he and Jolie initially purchased the winery in 2008 for $28.4 million, at which time she put down about 40 percent of the funding (about $11.36 million).
The latest: Brad Pitt, 58, is filing a lawsuit against Angelina Jolie, 46, over a business transaction she conducted involving Chateau Miraval, the Correns, France winery they had purchased as a couple, of which she subsequently sold her share to a Russian oligarch
Pitt said he put far more work and funding into the winery to make it profitable, and by 2013 she hadn’t matched his efforts on either front.
Pitt told the court that he and Jolie had agreed that they would not sell off their interest in the winery without the consent of the other party.
Jolie later filed for divorce in September of 2016, leading to an ongoing legal battle that has persisted into 2022 on multiple fronts.
Jolie informed the court that she intended to sell her share of the winery in July of 2021, Pitt said in legal docs, adding that in September of 2021 he consented to letting Jolie seek out a buyer who he would have approval rights on.
Pitt said in court docs that he and Jolie initially purchased the winery in 2008 (pictured in 2008) for $28.4 million
Pitt told the court Shefler’s involvement has been detrimental to his ability to efficiently run the winery, which is located in Correns, France
The former couple produced their feted 2014 Miraval Rose wine at the winery
Pitt told the court that he learned in October of 2021 that Jolie had sold her share to Shefler’s organization, and did not seek his approval or the deal or disclose the terms to him, against what they had previously agreed to.
Pitt told the court Shefler’s involvement has been detrimental to his ability to efficiently run the winery.
A Pitt insider told TMZ that Jolie disregarded ‘her legal and ethical obligations’ in selling her share to Shefler, and ‘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.’
Jolie ‘is seeking a return on an investment she did not make and profits she did not earn,’ the insider said.
Pitt and Jolie, who wed in 2014 and split in 2016, have been entangled in the legal system amid battles on multiple issues over the past five years-plus.
Pitt last May was awarded joint custody of their minor children, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and Vivienne and Knox, 13. They are also parents to Maddox, 20.