In an updated complaint filed in California on Friday, Brad Pitt claimed ex-wife Angelina Jolie illegally sold her shares in the couple’s French winery and estate without his knowledge.
According to the document, Jolie sold her half of Château Miraval to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler “to inflict harm on Pitt.” Shefler owns the Stoli Group — and its flagship Russian vodka, Stolichnaya, which has been the target of boycotts. It’s been associated with Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Pitt has claimed Shefler’s connection to Miraval, which Jolie facilitated, jeopardizes Château Miraval.
“Jolie sought to seize profits she had not earned and returns on an investment she did not make… 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 complaint also stated.
In a press release filed on Monday, the Stoli Group said Shefler is merely an investor who has no interest in taking a larger stake in the company than the 50 percent he already owns. However, Pitt has claimed that his company and Shefler’s have yet to come to an agreement regarding the strategic direction and management of the company that controls Château Miraval, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Our agreement with Brad Pitt is to make the castle a place where art and wine are one, with the most incredible of music studios,” the press release stated.
The BBC reported that Jolie and Pitt purchased the French winery for about $26 million in 2014. The couple filed for divorce in 2016, after two years of marriage.
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[Featured image: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt/AP Photo]
