Brad Pitt accused of ‘looting’ French winery he owned with Angelina Jolie

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been embroiled in another legal battle owing to their co-owned French vineyard, Chateau Miraval. Recent documents obtained by CNN claim that Brad Pitt engaged in “looting" the assets of the winery in an effort to maintain control. The filings, made by Jolie’s former investment firm Nouvelle, which previously held her stake in the winery, seek damages of $350 million. Nouvelle alleges that Brad Pitt orchestrated a plan to seize control of Chateau Miraval following their high-profile divorce. The documents further asserted that “Brad 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.”

Lawyers for Nouvelle claim that Brad Pitt’s alleged misconduct got worse after Angelina Jolie sold her shares to the investment company in October 2021. According to CNN, the filings suggest Brad Pitt, feeling slighted by the sale to another party, began treating Nouvelle as an unequal partner in the business, displaying a petulant attitude. The former couple initially purchased Chateau Miraval back in 2008. In recent years, their legal disputes have centered on the control of the renowned property. In February 2022, Brad Pitt filed a lawsuit asserting that Angelina Jolie’s sale of the winery was invalid, citing an agreement they had allegedly made not to sell without mutual consent. Jolie, on the other hand, countered Brad Pitt’s claim stating that no such agreement existed. She explained selling her share of the winery was necessary for her financial independence from Brad Pitt following a difficult and traumatic divorce including a highly-publicized custody battle of their children. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, first crossed paths on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, while the former was married to Friends fame Jennifer Aniston. With allegations of an extramarital affair brimming the tabloids, Brad Pitt ended his marriage to Jennifer. He was in a relationship with Angelina Jolie for over a decade before they decided to tie the knot in 2014. However, they got divorced in 2019 citing irreconcilable differences.