Photo: People
Actor Brad Pitt has filed a lawsuit against his former wife Angelina Jolie for selling her ownership stake in the French vineyard that they acquired together in 2008 and got married in during 2014.
According to the court documents, the vineyard Chateau Miraval SA “has grown into a multimillion-dollar international success story” through Pitt’s management.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles, claims that despite the former couple buying it together, Pitt put much more effort and investment into converting Chateau Miraval SA from a year-by-year losing business to “one of Hollywood’s most highly regarded producers of rosé wines.” In addition, he turned an area at his property into a private residence.
Pitt’s side alleged that he put a good amount of effort into the business due to an initial agreement between them that stipulated that he and Jolie would never trade each other’s shares without permission.
After their 2016 divorce, Pitt and Jolie discussed the possibility of purchasing her ownership share; whether he does so with entire or part-ownership has yet to be seen.
According to the complaint, however, Jolie informed Pitt in January of last year through writing that she had made a “painful decision, with a heavy heart”: She could not keep any ownership in the business anymore, although they had looked forward to “grow old together” in the vineyard to begin with.
According to the court documents, Jolie’s lawyers have informed Pitt that they will no longer continue discussions about the matter and “accused Pitt of having no intent of finalizing an agreement.”
The first time Pitt and his representatives heard of the news of the sale, stated in the lawsuit, was when Tenute del Mondo published a press release on his acquisition of the share of the vineyard, and it was a massive blow for Pitt.
Jolie is being charged for breach of contract by Pitt’s lawyers, demanding a jury trial.
