The lawsuit, which was reportedly filed in Los Angeles on Thursday, February 17th, said that the Inglorious Basterds star worked hard to make the vineyard "one of the world's most highly regarded producers of rose wine," and the sale will undoubtedly cause "gratuitous harm" to Pitt, who had "poured money and sweat equity into the wine business."
"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 lawsuit also claimed, in reference to the Maleficent actress. Although the lawsuit claims that Jolie didn’t receive Pitt's permission to sell her stake, it does claim that the Eternals actress "informed Pitt in writing" of her decision to sell to Shefler back in January 2021, which she said was a "painful decision" that she had made "with a heavy heart." Lawyers for Pitt have requested a trial by jury, so we await the next steps with baited breath!
This article was updated on 06/08/22 with the information below:
Brangelina's Château Miraval feud is still ongoing, with Pitt now making fresh allegations against his ex-wife and her decision to sell her share of the winery to Shefler in a new lawsuit reportedly filed on June 3rd. The Ocean's Eleven actor reportedly said that Jolie used "cutthroat business tactics" to "inflict harm" on him in retaliation over their ongoing custody battle. According to The Daily Mail, the court documents allege that the timing of the sale of the vineyard was no coincidence, as it was linked to a judge's recent decision to issue a tentative ruling giving Pitt 50/50 custody of their minor children.
Pitt's legal team filed court documents claiming Jolie's motivation for the sale was to "inflict harm on Pitt," and as far as he is concerned, Shefler has "poisonous intentions," including alleged plans to take complete control of the winery, not just the half he acquired from Jolie. "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 documents reportedly state.
"Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt's contractual rights," the lawsuit continued. "By doing so, Jolie sought to seize profits she had not earned and returns on an investment she did not make. Also through the purported sale, Jolie sought to inflict harm on Pitt. And just as Jolie envisioned, that is exactly what Shefler has done."
The filing also claims that Pitt worked hard to make Miraval a “multimillion-dollar global business and one of the world’s most highly regarded producers of rosé wine," while Jolie, according to the filing, "contributed nothing to Miraval’s success." "Instead, she allowed Pitt to pour money and sweat equity into the business in reliance on the consent right she owed him and a right of first refusal her business entity owed his," the lawsuit continued, in reference to the former husband and wife's agreement that Pitt would have first refusal to buy Jolie's stake if she ever wanted to sell.
"Pitt and Jolie purchased the château as a home to share with their children and the vineyard as a family business," added the lawsuit. "They agreed they would never sell their respective interests in Miraval without the other’s consent." We're very interested to see how this develops; stay tuned for more info as and when we get it!