Brad Pitt is suing his ex-wife Angelina Jolie for selling off her share in their French estate and winery Chateau Miraval.
In the court documents, which were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Hollywood star claims that his ex-wife broke an agreement by selling off her 50 per cent stake in the estate and its wines to Russian businessman Yuri Shefler in October without his permission.
"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 documents read, reports Page Six. "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 actors bought the estate in 2008 with the intention of raising their children there and building a family wine business. They married there in 2014 and split two years later.
In the documents, Pitt claims he made the vineyard into a multimillion-dollar business and invested millions into it, while Jolie had allegedly "stopped contributing altogether" by 2013.
The actress told Pitt in January 2021 of her intention to sell her share and he allegedly began negotiations to buy her out, and was blindsided by her sale to Shefler. He claims he is no longer able to use the estate as his private residence or oversee the business.
"Jolie seeks to recover unearned windfall profits for herself while inflicting gratuitous harm on Pitt. Jolie long ago stopped contributing to Miraval - while Pitt poured money and sweat equity into the wine business. Jolie seeks to seize profits she has not earned and returns on an investment she did not make," the lawsuit reads. "The purported sale deprives Pitt of his right to enjoy his private home and to oversee the business he developed from scratch.
"Miraval's success and associated rise in value allowed Jolie an opportunity to capitalize on Pitt's success and cash out, without ever having lifted a finger to grow the enterprise."
Pitt and Jolie were declared divorced in 2019 but they are still embroiled in legal battles relating to the custody of their six children and division of their shared assets.
