Prominent Hollywood stars and former power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt find themselves ensnared in yet another complex battle over a lavish French vineyard, Chateau Miraval, previously acquired during their matrimony.
Nouvel, Jolie’s erstwhile enterprise, has initiated a criminal action against two of Pitt’s business collaborators. The legal proceedings have thrust the celebrity duo back into the limelight, unfolding a significant chapter in their ongoing dispute over the vineyard worth $164 million.
The dispute dates back to their wedded days when the pair collectively invested in the extensive estate, aiming to nurture the vineyard into a prosperous venture to bequeath to their progeny. Despite the dissolution of their marital bond, their joint ownership of the winery remained intact.
In 2021, Jolie communicated her desire to Pitt to disengage herself from the venture by selling her share. Pitt acquiesced to facilitate the process of identifying a potential buyer or securing funds. However, the negotiation crumbled, leading to a disheartening conclusion.
Subsequently, Jolie transferred her share to Stoli, a third-party company spearheaded by Yuri Shefler.
Pitt contested Jolie’s decision, alleging a breach of an understanding that neither party would sell their stake without the consent of the other. Pitt further accused Shefler and his associates of orchestrating a hostile takeover of the thriving business that he had invested years in building.
He even portrayed Shefler as a Russian oligarch with connections to Putin, insinuating that Jolie intentionally allied with this business partner to tarnish Chateau Miraval’s reputation. Consequently, he implored the court to invalidate the sale.
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Nouvel, the firm via which Jolie retained her shares and which was sold to Stoli, retaliated with a hefty $250 million countersuit against Pitt. The company implicated Pitt and his agents – Gary Bradbury, Roland Venturini, and Warren Grant – for allegedly misappropriating Chateau Miraval’s resources.
According to Nouvel, Pitt strategically placed loyalists in key managerial positions at Chateau Miraval, undermining Jolie and Nouvel’s stake in the company’s operations. Moreover, they claimed that Pitt manipulated the business’s functioning to guarantee that neither Jolie nor Nouvel benefited from its substantial profits.
The litigation delves deeper as Nouvel insists that Pitt’s agents have wrongfully redirected millions of dollars from Chateau Miraval’s successful wine business to Pitt’s personal pursuits devoid of legitimate business purposes. Nouvel further accuses Pitt and his accomplices of colluding with third parties to usurp the immense value of Chateau Miraval’s trademarks.
Nouvel, in the face of these alleged financial misappropriations, has sought legal recourse, launching a criminal complaint in France against Pitt’s agents, Bradbury and Benturini.
The corporation alleges that these individuals have knowingly misused Chateau Miraval’s assets against the corporation’s best interests. Nouvel’s counterattack asserts that they refuse to be bullied by Pitt’s strategies and will resort to all available legal remedies against those liable for their actions.
