Angelina Jolie’s Former Company Files Criminal Complaint Against Brad Pitt’s Business Partners in Fight Over French Winery
Jul. 11 2023, Published 12:50 p.m. ET
Angelina Jolie’s former company Nouvel revealed it filed a criminal complaint against two of Brad Pitt’s business partners as part of the nasty battle over their French winery, Chateau Miraval, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Brad and Angelina are involved in a court war over the $164 million estate they purchased during their marriage. In his complaint, the actor said the plan was to build the winery into a business to pass down to their children.
The couple continued to own the winery even after their divorce. In 2021, Jolie approached Pitt to tell him she wished to sell her stake in the company.
Pitt said he agreed to find a buyer or funding. The talks eventually fell apart.
Jolie then sold her stake to a third-party company named Stoli which is run by a man named Yuri Shefler.
Pitt claimed Jolie broke a promise to not sell her stake without the other’s approval. He claimed Shefler and his team attempted a "hostile” takeover of the company he spent years building. Pitt even accused Shefler of being a Russian Oligarch who had ties to Putin. He accused Jolie of choosing this business partner to ruin Chateau’s public image.
He demanded the court void the sale.
In response, Nouvel, the company that Jolie held her shares of the company in and that was sold to Stoli, filed a $250 million countersuit against Pitt.
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The company accused Pitt and his agents — Gary Bradbury, Roland Venturini and Warren Grant — of misusing Chateau’s assets.
“Pitt has installed his own loyalists in management positions at Chateau Miraval, he has improperly blocked Jolie and Nouvel from obtaining information about or managing the company. The directors and managers of the business run all decisions by Pitt; nothing happens with respect to the company without his direct involvement and approval,” Nouvel said.
Nouvel said Chateau Miraval’s wine business generates tens of millions of dollars in profits but Pitt has ensured his ex and Nouvel would never see a dime of that money.
The company said “Bradbury, and Venturini improperly diverted millions in dividends paid to Chateau Miraval from the Miraval Provence wine business to Pitt’s personal projects that lacked any legitimate business purpose, including spending over a million euros of the business’ funds on a swimming pool, nearly a million euros a year constantly rebuilding stone walls using stone masons from Croatia, close to three million euros on “garment work”, and more money to build and rebuild a staircase— four times.”
Nouvel claims Pitt and his associates have conspired with third parties to misappropriate the immense value of Chateau Miraval’s trademarks.
The company said as a result, it has filed a criminal complaint in France against Pitt’s agents Bradbury and Benturini for, “in bad faith, putting Chateau Miraval’s assets to a use that they know is against the interest of the corporation.”
“Pitt’s bullying tactics started with Jolie. She would not be bullied by them, and neither will Nouvel. Instead, Nouvel will pursue all remedies it has against anyone, including Pitt and his co-conspirators, who should be subjected to civil and criminal liability for their actions,” the amended complaint read.