Angelina Jolie sold her ownership of the French winery to Brad Pitt in 2021, igniting a legal battle over Château Miraval.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie continue to engage in a legal battle over their French winery, Château Miraval.
The ongoing dispute is set to resume in court this week, with the focus shifting to technical details as they contend for ownership of the estate.
Pitt and Jolie were married for two years before Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, bringing an end to their 12-year relationship. They were declared legally single in 2019, but the complexities surrounding the division of assets, including the winery, persist.
The former couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, acquired a controlling interest in Château Miraval back in 2008 and enjoyed spending time at the property throughout their relationship.
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In 2021, Jolie sought to sell her company, Nouvel, to Tenute Del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli group. This transaction would have effectively transferred her 50% ownership stake in Miraval. However, Pitt contested this sale, arguing that it violated a contractual agreement between them.
According to court documents previously obtained by US Newzs Digital, Pitt alleges that Jolie pursued and completed the sale in secret, intentionally keeping him unaware and knowingly infringing upon his contractual rights.
Pitt has filed a lawsuit against Jolie, alleging several legal claims including breach of an implied-in-fact contract, breach of quasi-contract (pleaded in the alternative), breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, abuse of rights under Article 6-1 of the Luxembourg Civil Code, tortious interference with contractual relations, tortious interference with prospective business relations, and constructive trust.
In his legal action, Pitt is seeking damages “in an amount to be proven at trial.” Additionally, he has requested that Jolie’s sale of her company be declared “null and void.”
Pitt has further accused the company to which Jolie sold her interest of initiating a “hostile takeover” of Miraval.
According to the court documents, “Since claiming to acquire Jolie’s interest in Miraval, Shefler [the head of Tenute Del Mondo] has launched a hostile takeover of the wine business, destabilizing Miraval’s operations and seeking access to Miraval’s confidential and proprietary information for the benefit of his competing enterprise.”
Jolie’s company, Nouvel, has asserted that Pitt has orchestrated a “vindictive campaign” to “plunder” the lucrative business since she initially filed for divorce in 2016.
Nouvel has accused Pitt of “hijacking” Château Miraval and squandering the company’s resources on unnecessary renovation endeavors. These purportedly include spending $1 million on swimming pool renovations, as outlined in court documents previously obtained by US Newzs Digital.
Jolie’s former company also criticized Pitt’s assertion that he “built” the wine business into a profitable enterprise.
The court documents state, “Pitt is an actor, not a winemaker. He deals in illusions, not dirt and grapes. During the years that he allegedly ‘built’ the business, he filmed and appeared in dozens of movies, not to mention making countless promotional appearances, jet-setting around the world for movie premieres, and attending Hollywood parties. While he no doubt visited the vineyards to admire the work of the French laborers who made the business successful, Pitt is no vigneron.”
Despite the ongoing winery dispute and the pending finalization of their divorce, Pitt has been moving forward with his personal life.
The actor appears to be in a positive state of mind and has reportedly become serious with Ines de Ramon, who is 27 years younger than him. Their romantic relationship was first speculated upon in November 2022.
Following the dissolution of her marriage to “The Vampire Diaries” star Paul Wesley, Ines de Ramon began a new relationship with Brad Pitt.
Ramon and Wesley were married for nearly three years before finalizing their divorce in February, as reported by E! News. The former couple reached a written agreement concerning their property and marital rights.