Brad Pitt is accusing Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler of playing games in court and concealing critical evidence in a lawsuit over the French winery Chateau Miraval.
Pitt is suing Shefler and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie after Jolie sold her stake in the winery to Shefler’s company in 2021. Pitt claims that Jolie sold her stake to Shefler without his consent and that the sale is invalid.
Shefler has denied the allegations and has accused Pitt of trying to sabotage the deal.
In a recent filing, Pitt’s legal team accused Shefler and his team of concealing critical evidence. The actor said that documents produced show that the agreement between Jolie and Shefler is governed by California law and that California is the exclusive forum for disputes arising under it.
Pitt also claims that Shefler’s company expressly conditioned the deal on Jolie obtaining relief from the California Superior Court.
Further, Pitt claims that Jolie and Shefler’s company agreed to not communicate with him concerning any aspect of their negotiations, in contravention of his contractual rights.
Pitt has submitted an email that Shefler sent to Jolie through a third party, in which Shefler thanks Jolie for the deal and says that he is happy with it despite the current disagreements with Pitt. Shefler also says that he is hopeful that he and Jolie will eventually become trustworthy partners and will be enjoying mutual business.
Pitt said that the email proves that Shefler was deeply involved in the deal and has demanded that the court step in and force Shefler to turn over additional records.
The case is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be.