Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2015. Photo / Getty Images
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2015. Photo / Getty Images
Angelina Jolie "sought to inflict harm" on her former husband Brad Pitt by selling her stake in their co-owned vineyard to a Russian oligarch, new legal documents have claimed.
The sale helped launch a "hostile" takeover of the wine business that the actor had "carefully built" and forced him into partnership with "a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions".
The former Hollywood power couple purchased a controlling interest in Chateau Miraval SA, a French company comprising a home and vineyard in the south of France, in 2008.
Lawyers on behalf of the Fight Club star said under his stewardship, the business had grown into a "multimillion-dollar international success story" though Jolie had "contributed nothing".
Through the purported sale, Jolie sought to inflict harm
According to the lawsuit, Jolie sold her stake to a Luxembourg-based spirits manufacturer controlled by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler, without Pitt's knowledge.
"Through the purported sale, Jolie sought to inflict harm on Pitt," documents filed last week state.
"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."
Chateau Miraval was bought by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2008. Photo / Getty Images
It adds that Shefler "has gained notoriety through cut-throat business tactics and dubious professional associations" and the association with him "jeopardises the reputation of the brand Pitt so carefully built".
"All of this is the direct result of Jolie's unlawful and tortious conduct," the document states.
"In violation of the parties' agreement, Jolie has sought to force Pitt into partnership with a stranger, and worse yet, a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions."
Jolie 'benefited from Miraval's success'
The Miraval estate is located in the village of Correns in southeastern France, and was bought by the couple for around 25 million euros (NZ$41.3m).
According to the legal documents, Pitt contributed 60 per cent to the purchase price, with Jolie paying the remaining 40 per cent.
Lawyers also said the wine business at the property continues to flourish and "though she benefited from Miraval's success, Jolie had no involvement in these efforts".
Jolie reportedly informed Pitt of her decision to sell to Shefler in January 2021, saying she had reached a "painful decision, with a heavy heart".
