The Battle over custody between exes Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt is still on and has taken a different turn as the 58-year old actor has now accused his ex-wife of striking back at him by selling her share of his Miraval French Winery to a company run by “Russian oligarch” Yuri Shefler which Pitt has said has “poisonous intentions.”
In 2021, Jolie sold half of the winery which has risen to become one of the top producers of rosé wine thanks to Pitt’s efforts. Sources claim that Jolie’s decision to go ahead to “sell her interest to Tenute del Mondo, “a hostile third-party competitor bent on taking control of Miraval” is based on the Judge’s recent decision to split custody 50/50 between the couple. Jolie’s reaction to the judge’s ruling was termed as “livid” and “vindictive.”
Brad Pitt Accuses Angelina Jolie Of Selling Part Of His Winery To Retaliate Against Him In Custody Battle
In a complaint made by Pitt and his attorneys, it was stated that Jolie made the sale in secret and kept Pitt in the dark intentionally. By doing so, the attorneys claim “Jolie sought to seize profits she had not earned and returns on investment she did not make. Also, through the purported sale, Jolie sought to inflict harm on Pitt.”
Shefler is said to have “launched a hostile takeover of the wine business, destabilizing Miraval’s operations and seeking access to Miraval’s confidential proprietary information for the benefit of his competing enterprise” further bringing to reality the fears that they all had that Shefler and his associates would try to take over Pitt’s business and undermine all of his investments.
The documents by Pitt’s attorneys also state that “Miraval’s association with Sheffer who has gained notoriety through cutthroat business tactics and dubious professional associations—jeopardizes the reputation of the brand Pitt so carefully built.”
According to the document, Jolie is to blame for this as she has forced Pitt to bed with a total stranger and one with “poisonous associations and intentions.” It has also been revealed that the sale of the winery is in violation of the agreement the couple made when they started their partnership. They got the 1000-acre Chateau Miraval estate in 2008 and Pitt had first refusal to buy Jolie’s stake if she was willing to sell it.
Pitt’s attorneys also argued that Jolie was in no position to decide to sell to a total stranger because she owed it to Pitt’s input to the business. It was revealed that initially the estate cost Pitt a lot of money due to the previous owner. However, he was able to set it up and convert it into a “multimillion-dollar global business” while Jolie was just a bystander as she “contributed nothing to Miraval’s success.”
The Attorneys argue that “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.” While Miraval rose to be one of the best wine making companies, Shefler wanted to become associated with it and his associates had a number of meetings with Pitt who declined all offers made in 2016 and also in 2021. Hence, Jolie “sold Nouvel not just to a stranger but to the very stranger with whom Pitt and Miraval had refused to deal.”
Pitt’s attorneys have also claimed that “Shefler maintains personal and professional relationships with individuals in Vladimir Putin’s inner circle” even after claiming that he was exiled from his country and publicly criticized Putin’s administration. Pitt is therefore requesting a jury trial as he accuses his ex-wife, Shefler, Ollynik, SPI group and Tenute del Mundo of breach of contract, tortious interference and a breach of good faith.
