LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The court battle between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has just turned a notch sour. In a recent court filing by Jolie’s former investment company Nouvel, the attorneys have referred to the ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ star as a “petulant child” who is dealing “in illusions”. Jolie’s attorneys have further accused Pitt of wasting the “company’s assets,” which they said he used for “vanity projects.”
Apart from divorce and battle regarding the custody of their children, the estranged couple was at loggerheads with each other after Jolie sold her share of Chateau Miraval to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group, owned by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler in October 2021. The attorneys added that Pitt’s “misconduct” has risen after Jolie sold not only her share of the winery but also Nouvel.
In the court filings on Monday, July 10, 2023, Jolie’s attorneys termed Pitt “co-conspirators” in trying to retain control of the French winery by taking resort to unsolicited means, namely, “stripping” and “looting” its assets, for which Nouvel is asking for at least $350 million in damages, as per CNN.
The ‘Lara Croft’ actress’ attorneys wrote, “Pitt wasted the company’s assets, spending millions on vanity projects, including more than $1 million on swimming pool renovations, building and rebuilding a staircase four times, and spending millions to restore a recording studio.” Some of these claims were also present in Jolie's initial countersuit filed in September 2022.
Citing that Pitt’s “misconduct” increased post the sale of the property in 2021, they reasoned, “Incensed that Jolie sold Nouvel to Stoli rather than him, Pitt has acted like a petulant child, refusing to treat Nouvel as an equal partner in the business.” They further said that Pitt is involved in a "blatant money grab" over the winery.
Financial Times also reported the portion of the filing where the attorneys accused Pitt of staying delusional about his ability to be a “vigneron.” The court filing reports, “While he no doubt visited the vineyards to admire the work of the French laborers who actually made the business successful, Pitt is no vigneron,” before adding, “Pitt is an actor, not a winemaker.” Their castigation of the actor doesn’t end here as they wrote further, “He deals in illusions, not dirt and grapes.”
How much do Chateau Miraval's wines cost?
The ‘Côtes de Provence Blanc AOC - Château Miraval’ White wine 2021 will cost you 21.43€ ($23.61) for 0.75L with a price tag of 28.57€ ($31.47) per 1L. At the same time, the ‘Miraval Rosé Côtes de Provence AOC 1,5 l Magnum’ Rose Wine 2021 is priced at 39.98€ ($44.04) for 1.5L which is priced at 26.65€ ($29.34) for 1L. The same is available at a 0.75L variety with a price of 20.43€ ($22.50). The prices for all variants of wines are inclusive of all VATs, but you will need to pay delivery costs extra.
The wine connoisseurs can get a 3L variant of ‘Côtes de Provence Rosé AOC 3 I Doppelmagnum’ at a price of 99.98€ ($110.09). Another rose wine variant called ‘Côtes de Provence Rosé AOC 6 l Methusalem’ is available for 232.98€ ($256.54) for 6L. Both of these two are 2022 versions.
You can also purchase the STUDIO versions of the wines which are priced at 11.68€ ($12.86) for ‘STUDIO by Miraval Blanc Méditerranée IGP - Château Miraval’, 27.98€ ($30.82) for ‘STUDIO by Miraval Rosé IGP 1,5 l Magnum - Château Miraval’ for 1.5L, as per Vinello.
What is the lawsuit about?
The divorced couple bought the winery in 2008. Following their much-publicized split in 2016, Angelina Jolie sold her stake in Chateau Miraval in 2021. After the sale, Pitt filed a lawsuit in February 2022, claiming the sale to be “unlawful” as they allegedly agreed that neither party would sell their half of the property without the other’s consent. Jolie later filed a countersuit in September 2022, saying Pitt was "waging a vindictive war against" Jolie since their divorce, as per People. Jolie's lawyers further said, “Pitt's behavior has caused serious harm to Nouvel.”
