Brad Pitt is not backing down in his legal battle against Angelina Jolie over their French winery,
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According to court documents, Pitt has asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to deny Jolie’s recent motion to dismiss his lawsuit.
In his filing, Pitt argued that Jolie broke a promise not to sell her stake in the winery without his approval. He also claimed that she chose to sell to a Russian oligarch with ties to Putin.
Jolie has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, but Pitt is not letting her off the hook. He is demanding that the entire sale be undone.
In his new filing, Pitt unleashed on Jolie’s effort to have his case tossed. His lawyer wrote that Jolie’s decision to sell her stake to a Russian oligarch put him in a “partnership with a stranger” and invited that stranger to share not only his family business but also his family home.
Pitt also argued that Jolie is wrong to claim that she had no obligation to seek his approval before selling her stake in the company. He cited many statements that Jolie made over the years and said that even if there was no written contract in place, there was an implied-in-fact contract based on their conduct.
Pitt also revealed that he invested over $15 million in the winery, while Jolie put in over $10 million. He said that around this time, they agreed that no shares would be transferred to non-shareholders unless they both agreed.
Pitt’s filing also revealed that Jolie came to him in 2013 because she could no longer afford to fund her share of the investment. Pitt continued funding the investment completely on his own, ultimately investing nearly $50 million more in Château Miraval than Jolie.
Pitt said that before they got married, he transferred a 10% stake to Jolie so they would both have 50%. He said that based on Jolie knowing how much he invested and the 10% he provided her, he believed that they would hold the family property and business together for their children to inherit and not sell separately without the other’s consent.
After Jolie filed for divorce, Pitt claimed that Jolie agreed to a 68-32 split of the business based on his investments. Jolie reportedly told Pitt that she would only take what she put in, and that it was an investment and business that their children would inherit.
Pitt said that Jolie was the one who abruptly terminated the sale discussions in 2021 and then sold her stake to a Russian oligarch named Yuri Shefler.
Pitt is demanding that his lawsuit NOT be dismissed despite Jolie’s motion. It remains to be seen how the judge will rule, but this is sure to be a long and messy legal battle.