Brad Pitt is suing his ex-wife Angelina Jolie for selling her share of a jointly owned estate and winery to a Russian businessman.
The actor, 58 filed a lawsuit against the actress, 46, after she offloaded her share of the French estate Château Miraval the Correns, France winery to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.
Shefler is the owner of S.P.I. Group which produces and sells more than 300 brands of alcohol including Stolichnaya vodka and he has a net worth of around $2.5 billion, according to Forbes.
Brad said in court documents 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).
At war: Brad Pitt, 58, is suing his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, 46, for selling her share of a jointly owned estate and winery to a Russian businessman
Brad now wants a judge to order Angelina to undo the deal after Tenute del Mondo, controlled by Yuri, with court documents claiming she completed the sale of her 50 percent stake ‘without his knowledge’.
Jolie sold her share to Russian businessman Yuri Shefler (pictured), who is the owner of S.P.I. Group which produces and sells over 300 alcohol brands including Stolichnaya vodka
‘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.’
Jolie informed the court that she intended to sell her share of the winery in July of 2021, Brad said in legal documents, adding in September of 2021 he consented to letting the Lara Croft actress seek out a buyer who he would have approval rights on.
At the time, her firm and her former husband’s own Bongo LLC were equal shareholders in a Luxembourg company that had ownership interests in the Chateau Miraval estate in France, and a winery business branded as SNC Miraval Provence.
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 actor told the court he learned in October of 2021 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.
The former couple produced their feted 2014 Miraval Rose wine at the winery
He also said Shefler’s involvement has been detrimental to his ability to efficiently run the winery.
In the suit, his team argues: ‘The purported sale deprives Pitt of his right to enjoy his private home and to oversee the business he developed from scratch.’
A source close to Brad told TMZ his ex-wife 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.’
Angelina ‘is seeking a return on an investment she did not make and profits she did not earn,’ the insider said.
The former Hollywood couple, 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.
Last May, Brad 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.
Brad and Angelina met and by their own admission ‘fell in love’ while filming Mr and Mrs Smith in the summer of 2004 while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston.
After a controversial start, they quickly became Hollywood’s golden power couple and quickly grew their family.
They eventually married in 2014 at their Chateau Miraval in France in front of all six of their children.
But by August 2016, their high-profile romance had collapse and Angelina filed for divorce and requested primary custody of their children, marking the beginning of the long and ugly legal war.
In 2019, Pitt revealed that he turned to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) after his split from Angelina because his drinking had got out of control.
Custody battle: The couple have also been locked in an ugly battle over their children. Angelina is seen here with (L-R) Knox, Vivienne, Pax, Shiloh, Zahara, and Maddox in February 2019
