November 9, 2024: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s bitter legal battle over their once-shared French winery, Château Miraval, has intensified with new revelations. Pitt has disclosed that he offered Jolie a staggering $54.4 million for her stake in the winery, which they had envisioned as a family business when they acquired it in 2008. Despite their split in 2016, negotiations for Jolie’s buyout dragged on until early 2021, when Pitt proposed a deal to pay $46 million upfront, with the remaining $8.4 million in installments.
Pitt claims that Jolie abandoned the negotiations, using concerns over a “non-disparagement” clause as a smokescreen. According to his legal team, Jolie had secretly struck a deal to sell her stake to the Stoli Group, owned by Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler, violating her obligation to inform Pitt of third-party interests.
In court filings, Pitt’s lawyers argued that Jolie’s exit plan was orchestrated covertly. They assert that while negotiations with Pitt were ongoing, Jolie’s representatives were finalizing a $64 million sale with Stoli, allegedly breaching confidentiality and undermining their business agreements.
Jolie has countered these accusations, stating that she sought a sale due to increasing tensions and the effects of Pitt’s management on the family. In a January 2021 email, she expressed her disappointment, citing “inconsiderate behaviour,” unapproved expenses, and a lack of shared vision, particularly as the business centered on alcohol—a sensitive issue following past struggles.
The dispute, still in litigation, has raised questions about transparency and trust between the former partners, casting shadows on the future of Château Miraval.