Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie just can’t get along with one another. The actor has accused his ex-wife of allegedly trying to hurt his reputation by quietly selling her stake in their French vineyard to a “Russian oligarch” — a move which he believes was done with “poisonous intentions.” The father of six made the claim in his ongoing lawsuit after learning Angelina had sold half of the Château Miraval winery last year to billionaire businessman Yuri Shefler.
Brad argues that he had no knowledge of the sale when Angelina went ahead and gave up her shares to a firm that was formerly his competitor. To make matters worse, Yuri — due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — has inflicted Brad’s business since his Russian-based vodka company Stoli has become a massive international liability. He’s also convinced Yuri is enforcing a “hostile” takeover by trying to access confidential and proprietary information for the benefits of his vodka brand.
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What’s more, the vineyard, which was bought back in 2008 and became the pair’s destination for their wedding in 2014, was a very profitable business for the ex-couple. He considered the French chateau his “passion” project and, with his guidance, became one of the world’s highly-recorded producers of rosé wine, with a value of $164 million. But Angelina’s decision to use “cutthroat business tactics” to inflict harm on him by selling her half to a “stranger” had drawn the line.
Famous people… they’re just like us! @MiravalProvence, a French vineyard renowned for its rosé, is owned by Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. No promises that it will turn you into a mega-rich superstar but hey, it’s worth a sip! pic.twitter.com/hgVa9YTQ1j
— Johanna Halarewich (@JHalarewich) February 2, 2018
“Jolie knew and intended that Shefler and his affiliates would try to control the business Pitt had built and to undermine Pitt’s investment in Miraval,” the legal docs reveal. “Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark and knowingly violating Pitt’s contractual rights.”
It’s also mentioned how the sale of Angelina’s portion came about right around the same time a judge had issued a tentative ruling to grant Brad 50/50 custody even though she had hoped for full custodial rights. The Oklahoma native contends that his former flame had violated their agreement made when they first decided to start the family business together, with both agreeing never to sell their respective interests without the other’s consent.
Back in April, Us Weekly reported how Brad believed Angelina had been dragging out their custody battle because she didn’t want their children to be in his life once they turned 18. The pair have been feuding since their divorce in September 2016, following an alleged incident between Brad and their son Maddox on a private plane. However, it should be noted that the actor was later cleared of any child abuse allegations.
The news outlet’s sources assert that Brad could see Angelina cutting him out of their kids’ lives by not coming to an understanding with him on a shared custody arrangement. Instead, he thinks Angelina hopes that their kids “will want nothing to do with” him when that time eventually arrives — but Brad, as per the insider, “will not give up the fight.”