By Sara Donnellan | US Weekly
Battle of the exes. Brad Pitt filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie in February 2022, claiming that she illegally sold her shares of Miraval, a French company including a chateau and vineyard that the former couple purchased together in the south of France.
The Mr. and Mrs. Smith stars first gained a controlling interest in Miraval in 2008. They began selling their own rosé in March 2013 and got married at the chateau in August 2014. Pitt alleges that when Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, they both agreed not to sell their Miraval shares without each other’s permission.
However, in 2021, the Girl Interrupted star sold her portion of the business to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli group, owned by Russian businessman Yuri Shefler. In his filing, Pitt argues that his ex-wife made the business decision without his knowledge or consent.
“She sold her interest with the knowledge and intention that Shefler and his affiliates would seek to control the business to which Pitt had devoted himself and to undermine Pitt’s investment in Miraval,” the lawsuit claims. The February 2022 filing refers to Shefler as “an aggressive third-party competitor.”
“Co-owning a business with anyone, particularly a spouse, creates the risk of disagreements. When developing a business idea with a loved one, it can be easy to overlook or avoid a discussion about what happens if there is a disagreement or separation. However, as this story reveals, having a written agreement up front that spells out what happens if the parties go their separate ways can be priceless, both economically and emotionally.”
Tony Freeman, Rose Law Group Senior Litigator
