Brad Pitt is suing ex-wife Angelina Jolie , accusing her of illegally selling her stake in their French estate, Château Miraval.
In October 2021, the wine division of the Stoli Group, Tenute del Mondo, announced the acquisition of Jolie’s 50% stake in the estate and its winery. The Stoli Group, according to TMZ, is run by Russian entrepreneur Yuri Shefler. He ranks 58th on the Forbes list of the richest businessmen in Russia, and his fortune is estimated at $2.6 billion.
Jolie made the deal without Pitt’s consent, although they had such an agreement.
In January 2021, Jolie told Pitt in writing that she “made the painful decision with a heavy heart” to get rid of her stake.
Jolie explained that she acquired Château Miraval with Pitt “as a family business” and a place where they “will grow old together.” However, she could no longer maintain any position as the owner of the alcohol business, given her personal objections,
the lawsuit says.
Pitt then began negotiations to buy out Jolie’s stake, but it seems that they were unsuccessful. The sale came as a complete surprise to Pitt, who now claims he is no longer able to use the castle as his private home and can no longer control the wine company he has invested millions of dollars into. Pitt insists that Jolie deliberately hid the details of the deal from him, and through the court demands to cancel it, as well as cover the damage caused to him, the amount of which is not specified in open sources.
Pitt turned the estate’s vineyard into a multi-million dollar business and established the company as one of the world’s leading producers of rosé wine. The estate is now valued at around $164 million.
Jolie stopped contributing to Miraval a long time ago, while Pitt invested money and labor in the wine business. Jolie seeks to capture the profits she didn’t earn, the returns on investments she didn’t make. The success of Miraval and the associated rise in value allowed Jolie to capitalize on Pitt’s success and cash out without lifting a finger to grow the venture.
— stated in the claim of the actor.