Hollywood star sues ex-wife for selling his ‘passion’ to Russian billionaire
Brad Pitt wants a jury trial over the loss of his beloved and lucrative French vineyard
Hollywood star Brad Pitt has launched legal action against his former wife, actress Angelina Jolie, after she sold her stake in the French vineyard he considers his “passion” without consulting him, the Press Association reported on Friday.
According to the lawsuit, obtained by the news agency, Jolie has sold her stake in Chateau Miraval to a Luxembourg-based company controlled by Russian businessman Yuri Shefler, whose net worth is estimated at $2.5 billion, despite the couple’s prior agreement not to sell their interests without each other’s consent.
“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,” the lawsuit claims, as quoted by the PA.
The legal documents, filed by Pitt’s representatives in the Los Angeles Superior Court, say that the multi-million-dollar business in southeastern France was more than just a profitable enterprise for the ‘Fight Club’ star, but rather his “passion,” while Jolie “stopped contributing altogether” to managing the vineyard by 2013.
In January 2021, Jolie notified Pitt of her “painful decision” to sell her stake, citing “her personal objections” to “an alcohol-based business.”
By selling her stake in Miraval to Shefler, despite Pitt’s attempts to buy it out, Jolie has caused “gratuitous harm” to her ex-husband, who “poured money and sweat” into “one of the world’s most highly-regarded producers of rose wine,” the actor’s lawyers argue.
The stars bought a controlling stake in Miraval in 2008 for more than $25 million, with Pitt paying 60% of the price and Jolie the remaining 40%. During their marriage, the 35-room Miraval mansion was a favorite retreat for ‘Brangelina’, as the power couple was dubbed by the media, and their six children. A bitter three-year-long divorce process, which started in 2016, saw the couple getting involved in a very public custody battle.
Shefler is the owner of the international consortium SPI Group, which sells wines and spirits in more than 170 countries and lists Stolichnaya Vodka among its brands.
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