An endless fight … The divorce between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, notably marked by a hard battle for the shared custody of the children, has experienced yet another twist in recent months. The reason ? The Miraval wine estate, in the South of France. The star of Maleficent sold his shares and the actor swears that he was not consulted despite an agreement made at the time stipulating that the other should be consulted in the event of withdrawal from the business. The entourage of Angelina Jolie now assures, while a complaint is in progress, that she would have tried to come to an agreement with her ex-husband.
A financial partner with experience
A source close to the actress confided in the American site People while Brad Pitt filed a complaint in Los Angeles to request the cancellation of this sale and damages. “Brad Pitt’s complaint is a continuation of a false story and the truth surrounding this situation has never been made public. After the events that led Angelina Jolie to file for divorce [en 2016, ndlr] (…) she made the hard decision to sell her shares in this business. She made multiple offers to her ex-husband and, knowing their children would inherit them, she found a financial partner with experience in the alcohol business. It is unfortunate to see that after having left this business properly and legally, Brad Pitt is attacking her in a complaint with multiple motives“, said the anonymous person.
But on the side of the clan of Brad Pitt, this argument does not convince … “The best way to keep the high value of this business for the benefit of the family would have been for one of the two parents to take control of these shares in order to increase the value of this property. The value is much stronger when a family owns 100% of the shares rather than 40 or 50“, said a relative of the actor of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It should be noted, however, that when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie invested in Miraval, they were however forced to take on a French partner, namely Charles Perrin. The latter also says the greatest good of Brad Pitt who would be extremely involved in the success of Miraval.
Major international risk
As a reminder, Brad Pitt accused his ex-wife Angelina Jolie of having had “evil intentions” when she sold her shares in their wine estate to a Russian oligarch. In an updated version of the complaint consulted, the actor’s lawyers further accuse Yuri Shefler, a Russian tycoon who owns the brand of spirits (Stoli) who bought out Angelina Jolie’s shares, to have “harmful associations and intentions“. He “maintains personal and professional relationships with individuals within Vladimir Putin’s inner circle“, the Russian president. But AFP stresses that he would nevertheless be “critical” of the Russian regime and exiled from the country for a long time.
Brad Pitt’s attorneys say that doesn’t stop this brand, Stoli, from being “synonym of Russia” for the general public and to constitute as such a “major international risk“for the marketing of wines from the Miraval estate. Today, the estate sells more than a million bottles each year…