Brad Pitt is alleging that his former wife Angelina Jolie deliberately “sought to inflict harm” on him by selling her share of their French vineyard to a rival investor.
Pitt has filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife with the Los Angeles County Superior Court as part of a long-running legal dispute over Chateau Miraval, in southeast, France. The vineyard was acquired by the couple in 2008 before they got married in 2014. The duo paid approximately 25 million euros (£21.3m) for the estate. Pitt is said to have contributed 60% of the purchase price, with Jolie paying the remaining 40%.
Pitt claims that Jolie sold her stake in the French vineyard to a Russian oligarch who has “poisonous associations and intentions.”
In October last year, Jolie sold her share for $164m to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Russia-born billionaire Yuri Shefler’s drinks conglomerate.
According to Pitt, the couple had agreed never to sell their interests without the other’s consent and accused Jolie of seeking “unearned” profits.
Pitt said that Yuri Shefler, the Russian billionaire who controls the Stoli Group, is “bent on taking control of Miraval.”
The legal document also states that Shefler “has gained notoriety through cut-throat business tactics and dubious professional associations” and the association with him “jeopardises the reputation of the brand Pitt so carefully built”.
“All of this is the direct result of Jolie’s unlawful and tortious conduct.
“In violation of the parties’ agreement, Jolie has sought to force Pitt into partnership with a stranger, and worse yet, a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions.”
The legal document adds: “Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt’s contractual rights.”
The lawsuit claims the sale helped launch a “hostile” takeover of the wine business that the actor had “carefully built”.
Pitt’s lawyers said that under his stewardship, the business had grown into a “multimillion-dollar international success story” though Jolie had “contributed nothing”.
Pitt claims that the success of the vineyard was entirely due to his efforts, and Jolie had nothing to do with it.
The actor’s lawyers are requesting a trial by jury.
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