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Brad Pitt has filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie for selling her stake in their Château Miraval, a French estate consisting of a home and vineyard in the south of France.
The couple purchased a controlling interest in the property back in 2008 “as a home to share with their children and the vineyard as a family business,” the complaint, filed by Pitt and plaintiff Mondo Bongo, LLC obtained by Fox News Digital, states.
Pitt claims he and Jolie “agreed they would never sell their respective interests in Miraval without the other’s consent.” However, Pitt claims Jolie broke that promise by selling her interest to a Luxembourg-based spirits manufacturer controlled by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.
“Jolie consummated the purported sale without Pitt’s knowledge, denying Pitt the consent right she owed him and the right of first refusal her business entity owed his,” the papers state. “She sold her interest with the knowledge and intention that Shefler and his affiliates would seek to control the business to which Pitt has devoted himself and to undermine Pitt’s investment in Miraval.”
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An aerial view taken on May 31, 2008 in Le Val, southeastern France, shows the Chateau Miraval, a vineyard estate owned by US businessman Tom Bove.
(MICHEL GANGNE/AFP)
Pitt claims because of the “purported transaction,” his ex-wife and mother of his children now “seeks to recover unearned windfall profits for herself while inflicting gratuitous harm on Pitt.”
The “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” actor claims he’s poured his “money and sweat equity” into their Miraval wine business – and claims the “Maleficent” star “long ago stopped contributing.”
The residential property and vineyard are located in Correns, France. The lavish Château Miraval residence is where the exes wed in 2014. The complaint argues that Pitt had taken “the lead on developing Miraval’s grounds and building the business.”
The couple have been fighting in court over the $164 million estate in recent months. Pitt filed a complaint in September in Luxembourg, accusing Jolie, 46, of attempting to offload her 50% share in the sprawling property without allegedly allowing Pitt, 58, the first option to buy her out.
BRAD PITT AND ANGELINA JOLIE FIGHT OVER $164M FRENCH ESTATE
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive at the world premiere of “Maleficent” in Los Angeles in 2014. Their divorce was finalized in 2019.
(Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)
The property is owned by separate limited liability corporations that both parties control, according to the court papers, which state that Miraval is owned by Quimicum – a company Pitt originally held a 60% stake through his company Mondo Bongo. Meanwhile, while Jolie held 40% through her company Nouvel. Both Nouvel and Jolie are named as defendants in the new lawsuit in California.
Miraval is sold in over 65 countries, and revenues have grown from approximately $3 million in 2013 to more than $50 million in 2021, Pitt and his attorneys claim.
The coronavirus pandemic didn’t slow down Miraval’s profits. It grew by nearly 25% in volume in 2020 and sales had increased by almost 20%, the plaintiffs claim.
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The couple purchased a controlling interest in the property back in 2008 “as a home to share with their children and the vineyard as a family business,” the complaint states.
(MICHEL GANGNE/AFP)
The parties, through their representatives, engaged in buyout negotiations after Jolie informed Pitt “in writing” that she “could no longer maintain any ownership position.”
“But in a letter dated June 15, 2021, Jolie’s representatives abruptly informed Pitt that they were terminating discussions and disingenuously accused Pitt of having no intent on finalizing an agreement.”
Pitt claims that without his knowledge, Jolie had a buyer waiting. She advised the divorce court of an agreement she reached with a third-party buyer Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group, controlled by Shefler. On September 8, 2021, he says he made it “crystal clear” he was “not consenting to the sale of Nouvel LLC or any of the assets thereof.”
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Brad Pitt says he poured his money and sweat into the Miraval business while Jolie allegedly “stopped contributing.”
(Ken Ishii)
Jolie is being sued for tortious interference with contractual relations, breach of implied-in-fact contract, breach of quasi-contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and constructive trust. Plaintifs Pitt and Mondo Bongo, LLC, demand a trial by jury.
Pitt and Jolie’s divorce was finalized in 2019. They share six children together.