Absolument Jolie

Brad Pitt sues ex-wife Angelina Jolie after she 'secretly' sold her share in French winery Chateau Miraval to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler

Details: Published on Tuesday, 22 February 2022 07:27; Written by Daily mail

Brad Pitt is suing his ex-wife Angelina Jolie for selling her share of a jointly owned estate and winery to a Russian businessman.The actor, 58 filed a lawsuit against the actress, 46, after she offloaded her share of the French estate Château Miraval the Correns, France winery to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler. Shefler is the owner of S.P.I. Group which produces and sells more than 300 brands of alcohol including Stolichnaya vodka and he has a net worth of around $2.5 billion, according to Forbes. Brad said in court documents he and Jolie initially purchased the winery in 2008 for $28.4 million, at which time she put down about 40 percent of the funding (about $11.36 million).Brad now wants a judge to order Angelina to undo the deal after Tenute del Mondo, controlled by Yuri, with court documents claiming she completed the sale of her 50 percent stake 'without his knowledge'. The Fight Club actor told the court he and Jolie had agreed they would not sell off their interest in the winery without the consent of the other party.He said he put far more work and funding into the winery to make it profitable, and by 2013 she hadn't matched his efforts on either front. In court documents filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, and obtained by the New York Post's Page Six column, reads: 'Jolie consummated the purported sale without Pitt's knowledge, denying Pitt the consent right she owed him and the right of first refusal her business entity owed his.'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.'Jolie informed the court that she intended to sell her share of the winery in July of 2021, Brad said in legal documents, adding in September of 2021 he consented to letting the Lara Croft actress seek out a buyer who he would have approval rights on. At the time, her firm and her former husband's own Bongo LLC were equal shareholders in a Luxembourg company that had ownership interests in the Chateau Miraval estate in France, and a winery business branded as SNC Miraval Provence. The actor told the court he learned in October of 2021 Jolie had sold her share to Shefler's organization, and did not seek his approval or the deal or disclose the terms to him, against what they had previously agreed to.He also said Shefler's involvement has been detrimental to his ability to efficiently run the winery.In the suit, his team argues: 'The purported sale deprives Pitt of his right to enjoy his private home and to oversee the business he developed from scratch.' A source close to Brad told TMZ his ex-wife disregarded 'her legal and ethical obligations' in selling her share to Shefler, and 'in doing so, she has violated the rights of the only person who poured money and sweat equity into the success of the business by purporting to sell both the business and family home to a third-party competitor.'Angelina 'is seeking a return on an investment she did not make and profits she did not earn,' the insider said.The former Hollywood couple, who wed in 2014 and split in 2016, have been entangled in the legal system amid battles on multiple issues over the past five years-plus.Last May, Brad was awarded joint custody of their minor children, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and Vivienne and Knox, 13. They are also parents to Maddox, 20.Brad and Angelina met and by their own admission 'fell in love' while filming Mr and Mrs Smith in the summer of 2004 while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston.After a controversial start, they quickly became Hollywood's golden power couple and quickly grew their family.They eventually married in 2014 at their Chateau Miraval in France in front of all six of their children.But by August 2016, their high-profile romance had collapse and Angelina filed for divorce and requested primary custody of their children, marking the beginning of the long and ugly legal war.In 2019, Pitt revealed that he turned to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) after his split from Angelina because his drinking had got out of control.

source : Daily mail

Angelina Jolie sells her 50% share in $164M Château Miraval winery she shares with ex Brad Pitt... in a move branded 'vindictive and systematic obstruction' by actor in bitter lawsuit

Details: Published on Thursday, 07 October 2021 06:33; Written by Daily mail

Angelina Jolie has sold her 50% share of Château Miraval winery amid her bitter court battle with ex-husband and co-owner Brad Pitt, it was revealed of Tuesday.The Maleficent star, 46, sold the shares to wine group Tenute del Mondo - part of the Stoli Group, which counts Masseto and Ornellaia in its portfolio - in a move that was foreseen last month in her latest legal battle with the actor, 57.The estate - now valued at $164 million - is where the couple tied the knot in 2008.In September, Angelina's plans to sell the shares in the alcohol and property giant were branded 'vindictive' and guilty of 'systematic obstruction' in a lawsuit brought against her by Brad, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed.She was accused of trying to cut the actor out of a deal to offload her 50% stake in the vineyard, which is held through her company Nouvel. It was announced the group bought the share through its premium wine division, Tenute del Mondo, which also owns brands such as Masseto, Ornellaia, Luce, CastelGiocondo, Achaval Ferrer and Arínzano.Jon Pepper MW, managing director of Tenute del Mondo gushed over the acquisition, saying: 'With the addition of a Rose of this calibre we are well positioned to meet the exquisite demands of both customers and partners alike'.Global CEO of Stoli Group Damian McKinney spoke of Stoli's admiration of Miraval's 'exceptional' wines and brand and was thrilled to have a position alongside Brad Pitt as curators of its extraordinary vintages.'We are honoured to do our part to uphold the integrity and commitment, as well as invest the time and passion, evidenced in both the Chateau and the Miraval brand'.Angelina's move comes after the lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com showed Miraval is owned by Quimicum, a company in which Pitt originally held a 60 per cent share through his company Mondo Bongo while Jolie held 40 per cent through Nouvel.Three years before he and Jolie split, Pitt transferred ten per cent of Mondo Bongo's shares to her company, Nouvel rendering them 50/50 stakeholders in Quimicum.The suit went on to allege that she was trying to sell her 50 per cent, circumvent Pitt's right of first refusal and profit from the 'incredible amount of work, time and money,' invested by Pitt and his business partners in growing the brand. But according to the lawsuit, the ten per cent transfer is void as the shares were 'sold' for only 1 Euro and not a 'serious' amount as required by Luxembourg law.The Chateau and the 1,000-acre estate near Aix-en-Provence in which it sits was once the couple's getaway.It was there that the couple, who met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2004 when Pitt was still married to Jennifer Anniston, decided to marry in an intimate ceremony in 2008.Now, it's simply another asset over which to wrangle in a divorce that has burned through the courts for years. According to the lawsuit it is valued at over 140million Euros (approximately $164m).'It is worth mentioning that, for the last four years, Nouvel [Jolie's company] did not act in the best interest of Quimicum by systematically delaying the approval of the annual accounts and the renewal of the manager,' the suit states.It continues: 'We understand that behind this systematic obstruction, the real purpose of Nouvel and its shareholder [Jolie] is to sell its stake in Chateau Miraval SA in a way that would circumvent Mondo Bongo's right of first refusal (as provided in Quimicum's articles of approval), taking, as a result, a capital gain raised thanks to Mondo Bongo's investment and to which Nouvel did not contribute.'Commenting on the latest proceedings one source familiar with the couple's ongoing legal battles told DailyMail.com: 'Angelina's actions towards Brad are consistently vindictive.''It's another example of this person trying to circumvent the rules and avoid their obligations. Jolie filed for divorce in August 2016 citing 'irreconcilable differences' and requesting primary custody of their six children, Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15 and twins Vivienne and Nox, 12.

source : Daily mail

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reach agreement on sale of shared assets which opens door for actress to sell off shares in $164M winery... but Pitt's recent lawsuit puts bump in the road

Details: Published on Sunday, 26 September 2021 10:02; Written by Daily mail

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are in agreement on a recent decision to lift a 'standard temporary restraining order' on their assets, which was put in place during their divorce proceedings.According to ET, this allows the former couple to sell possessions owned during the span of their two year marriage, which seemingly opens the door for Jolie to offload her 50% shares of their French winery and estate, Chateau Miraval.But earlier this week, Brad filed a lawsuit accusing Jolie of a 'vindictive' plan to sell her shares, circumvent his right of first refusal, and profit from the 'incredible amount of work, time and money' invested by the actor and his business partners, as per exclusive legal docs obtained by DailyMail.com.Chateau Miraval is valued at $164 million (140million Euros). Originally, when the former couple bought their shares of Quimicum, the company that owns the Chateau Miraval, in 2008, Pitt and his company, Mondo Bongo, had a 60/40 majority share over Jolie and her company, Nouvel.But that majority was evened out when Mondo Bongo transferred 10% to Nouvel, according to the lawsuit.The legal documents claim Pitt sold Jolie the shares for a symbolic price of 1 Euro in 2013, which was one year before they were married and three years before Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt.The new lawsuit filed by Pitt's legal team is trying to have that 10% transfer annulled, in a move to restore its 60/40 shareholder majority in the estate, on the grounds that the 1 Euro price tag is not a 'serious' amount as required by Luxembourg law. Sources told Page Six that as part of their agreement, Pitt and Jolie agreed to ask each other for permission if they ever wanted to sell their shares. This new lawsuit also alleges Jolie tried to sell her shares without giving Pitt right of first refusal, and profit from the 'incredible amount of work, time and money' invested by Pitt and his business partners in growing the brand. 'He [Pitt] did all the work; she did nothing,' a source claimed.'It is worth mentioning that, for the last four years, Nouvel [Jolie's company] did not act in the best interest of Quimicum by systematically delaying the approval of the annual accounts and the renewal of the manager,' the suit states. Jolie's actions are yet 'another example of this person trying to circumvent rules and avoid their obligations,' and that this latest move 'is pretty consistent' with her past behavior, a source close to litigation old Us. Prior to reaching an agreement, Pitt's company alleged that it had made numerous good-faith attempts to settle this issue amicably, but was forced to file a lawsuit to annul the transfer of Quimicum shares, and bring their respective ownerships of the company back to a 60-40 split. The Chateau and the 1,000-acre estate near Aix-en-Provence in which it sits was once the couple's getaway. It also has sentimental value, as it's the place where Pitt and Jolie were married, in front of their six children, in 2014. Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in 2019, but they continue to battle it out over custody of their six children: Maddox, 20, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 13.Just three months ago, in June, Pitt, 57, was awarded joint custody – a decision that Jolie, 46, vowed to fight 'with everything she's got.'

source : Daily mail

Angelina Jolie files new court docs in hopes of offloading her stake in French winery business with ex Brad Pitt

Details: Published on Thursday, 08 July 2021 06:21; Written by Daily mail

Angelina Jolie is eager to cut business ties with ex Brad Pitt and is now asking the courts to lift a temporary order blocking the sale of their joint assets.Jolie recently filed paperwork asking for a judge to lift a restraining order on the transfer of their assets, something which is automatically put in place when divorce proceeding begin.It seems the Oscar-winner, 46, is especially keen on selling her interest in Nouvel, LLC the winery company they co-own and operate Chateau Miraval in Provence, France under.Jolie is hoping to unfreeze the assets so she can sell her stake in the company, telling the courts she already had interested buyer and a deal in the works.Her legal team went on to note that they reached out to Pitt's attorneys in hopes of avoiding court, but the have yet to return to Jolie with terms.In the legal docs, Jolie added she is worried her potential buyer might back out if the assets remain frozen while Pitt's team considers the matter, which is why she is asking a judge to intervene.The request has yet to be approved.Nouvel LLC appears to be the entity in charge of the exes' French chateau/vineyard Chateau Miraval and the wine produced at the vineyard, which they bought in 2011 for a reported $60million.Pitt was awarded 50/50 custody of their couple's five-minor children Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14 and twins Vivienne and Knox, 12, earlier this year by an LA judge, a decision Jolie was reportedly 'bitterly disappointed' by. The decision was met with controversy as it was revealed that none of the couple's children under the age of 18 were allowed to testify during the case, and Jolie's legal team indicated that they would continue to fight the outcome in the future. The actress/activist filed for divorce in 2016 - citing the 'the health of the family' - in the wake of a conflict on a private flight from France to Los Angeles in which she accused Pitt of behaving abusively to son Maddox, who was 15 at the time.The Academy Award-winning actor faced no charges in connection with the incident amid probes from the FBI and social services.

source : Daily mail

Sour grapes! Angelina Jolie is accused of 'vindictive' plot to cut ex Brad Pitt out of a deal to offload her shares in the couple's $164M Chateau Miraval, in new lawsuit filed by the actor

Details: Published on Sunday, 26 September 2021 10:02; Written by Daily mail

Angelina Jolie has been slammed as 'vindictive' and guilty of 'systematic obstruction' in a new lawsuit brought against her on behalf of Brad Pitt, DailyMail.com can reveal.Court papers filed in Luxembourg Tuesday accuse Jolie of trying to carve Pitt out of a deal to offload her shares in the divorced couple's French property and vineyard, Chateau Miraval in Correns, France. According to the lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com, Miraval is owned by Quimicum, a company in which Pitt originally held a 60 per cent share through his company Mondo Bongo while Jolie held 40 per cent through her company, Nouvel.Three years before he and Jolie split, Pitt transferred ten per cent of Mondo Bongo's shares to her company, Nouvel rendering them 50/50 stakeholders in Quimicum.Now, the suit alleges, Jolie is trying to sell her 50 per cent, circumvent Pitt's right of first refusal and profit from the 'incredible amount of work, time and money,' invested by Pitt and his business partners in growing the brand.But according to the lawsuit, the ten per cent transfer is void as the shares were 'sold' for only 1 Euro and not a 'serious' amount as required by Luxembourg law.The Chateau and the 1,000-acre estate near Aix-en-Provence in which it sits was once the couple's getaway.It was there that the couple, who met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2004 when Pitt was still married to Jennifer Anniston, decided to marry in an intimate ceremony in 2008.Now, it's simply another asset over which to wrangle in a divorce that has burned through the courts for years. According to the lawsuit it is valued at over 140million Euros (approximately $164million).'It is worth mentioning that, for the last four years, Nouvel [Jolie's company] did not act in the best interest of Quimicum by systematically delaying the approval of the annual accounts and the renewal of the manager,' the suit states. It continues: 'We understand that behind this systematic obstruction, the real purpose of Nouvel and its shareholder [Jolie] is to sell its stake in Chateau Miraval SA in a way that would circumvent Mondo Bongo's right of first refusal (as provided in Quimicum's articles of approval), taking, as a result, a capital gain raised thanks to Mondo Bongo's investment and to which Nouvel did not contribute.'Commenting on the latest proceedings one source familiar with the couple's ongoing legal battles told DailyMail.com: 'Angelina's actions towards Brad are consistently vindictive.''It's another example of this person trying to circumvent the rules and avoid their obligations. Jolie filed for divorce in August 2016 citing 'irreconcilable differences' and requesting primary custody of their six children, Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15 and twins Vivienne and Nox, 12.Three months ago, in June, Pitt, 57, was awarded joint custody – a decision that Jolie, 45, vowed to fight 'with everything she's got.' A 'bitterly disappointed,' Jolie let it be known that as far as she was concerned, their legal battle was 'far from over.'The actress claimed that three of the children wanted to testify against Pitt but were blocked from doing so by Judge John Ouderkirk, the private judge to whom Pitt and Jolie initially agreed in a bid to keep the details of their case sealed.But just one month after that blow, Jolie won a major victory when her lawyers convinced a California appeals court that Judge Ouderkirk should be excluded on the grounds that Pitt's lawyers did not disclose previous dealings he had had with the actor's attorneys.Lawyers for Pitt reacted to the decision with dismay, stating that the ongoing legal proceedings and overturning of the custody agreement were detrimental not only to Pitt but to all of the couple's children.Speaking at the time once source said: 'Brad believes there is overwhelming evidence that the current situation isn't good for the kids. This just sets things back for everyone.'

source : Daily mail

Angelina Jolie scores victory in custody battle with Brad Pitt

Details: Published on Saturday, 24 July 2021 08:36; Written by CBS Nesws

Angelina Jolie scored a major victory Friday in her divorce with Brad Pitt when a California appeals court agreed with her that the private judge deciding who gets custody of their children should be disqualified.The 2nd District Court of Appeal agreed with Jolie that Judge John W. Ouderkirk didn't sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt's attorneys."Judge Ouderkirk's ethical breach, considered together with the information disclosed concerning his recent professional relationships with Pitt's counsel, might cause an objective person, aware of all the facts, reasonably to entertain a doubt as to the judge's ability to be impartial. Disqualification is required," the court ruled.The decision means that the custody fight over the couple's five minor children, which was nearing an end, could just be getting started.The judge already ruled the pair divorced, but separated the child custody issues.Like many celebrity couples, Pitt and Jolie opted to hire their own judge to increase their privacy in the divorce proceedings."The appeals court ruling was based on a technical procedural issue. The facts haven't changed. There is an extraordinary amount of factual evidence which led the judge — and the many experts who testified — to reach their clear conclusion about what is in the children's best interests," a statement by Pitt's representative said. "We will continue to do what's necessary legally based on the detailed findings of what's best for the children."Details of the custody rulings have not been publicly released.Jolie and Pitt have six children: 19-year-old Maddox, 17-year-old Pax, 16-year-old Zahara, 15 year-old Shiloh, 12-year-old Vivienne and 12-year-old Knox. Only the five minors are subject to custody decisions.Ouderkirk declined to disqualify himself when Jolie asked him to in a filing in August. A lower court judge ruled that Jolie's request for disqualification came too late. Jolie's attorneys then appealed.The July 9 oral arguments in front of the appeals court focused on exactly which ethical rules should apply to private judges, who, like Ouderkirk, are usually retired superior court judges."If you're going to play the role of a paid private judge you have to play by the rules and the rules are very clear, they require full transparency," Jolie's attorney Robert Olson said. "Matters that should have been disclosed were not disclosed." Pitt attorney Theodore Boutrous said the attempt at disqualification was a stalling tactic by Jolie to keep Ouderkirk's recent tentative custody decision, which is favorable to Pitt, from going into effect.The court cited several cases, including the divorce of "Modern Family" co-creator Steven Levitan, in which Ouderkirk either failed entirely to disclose a business relationship with Pitt's attorneys or failed to disclose one quickly or completely enough.The panel questioned whether such an arrangement should be allowed in California at all, but their ruling applies only to Ouderkirk.Jolie, 46, and Pitt, 57, were among Hollywood's most prominent couples for 12 years. Ouderkirk officiated the couple's 2014 wedding, then was hired to oversee their divorce when Jolie filed to dissolve the marriage in 2016. They were declared divorced in April 2019, after their lawyers asked for a judgment that allowed a married couple to be declared single while other issues remained, including finances and child custody.In May, Jolie and her attorneys criticized Ouderkirk for not allowing the couple's children to testify in the proceedings.The actress also said the judge "has failed to adequately consider" a section of the California courts code, which says it is detrimental to the best interest of the child if custody is awarded to a person with a history of domestic violence. Her filing did not give details about what it was referring to, but her lawyers submitted a document under seal in March that purportedly offers additional information.The ruling does not address whether the children should be allowed to testify in the case.

source : CBS Nesws

Angelina Jolie claims 'THREE of her children wanted to testify against Brad Pitt' in their bitter custody case, court documents reveal

Details: Published on Friday, 18 June 2021 07:09; Written by Daily mail

Angelina Jolie claims three of her children with ex-husband Brad Pitt had hopes to testify against him in their ongoing custody case.Jolie, 46, and Pitt, 57, - who finalized their divorce in 2019 - are parents to six kids, five of them minors: Maddox, 19, Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14 and twins Vivienne and Knox, 12. Court documents did not state which of the children were reportedly willing to speak against their father. In a December 2020 court document reviewed by Us Weekly, Jolie's legal team said that 'three of the children have asked to testify' in the ongoing custody proceedings."The children whose custody is at issue are old enough to understand what is going on,' Jolie's lawyer said. 'The trial is necessarily going to impact them emotionally.'To make any of the children endure what may be a futile and void proceeding is beyond unjustified. It is cruel.'The legal team for the Maleficent actress had filed the docs in her efforts to disqualify Judge John Ouderkirk from ruling over the case. While Jolie and Pitt initially agreed to Judge Ouderkirk as a private judge to keep the details of the case sealed, she said last August that the judge is compromised because of 'ongoing business and professional relationships' he has with one of Pitt's lawyers; and that she will appeal a finalized decision made by Ouderkirk in the case.Ouderkirk was kept in the case in October, and in the December 2020 filing, Jolie's legal team said that Ouderkirk's presence at the helm of the case has made for a bad situation in which the children sought out to take the stand and speak their mind in the case.Jolie's legal team said in court docs filed earlier this year that the judge denied the actress 'a fair trial, improperly excluding her evidence relevant to the children's health, safety, and welfare, evidence critical to making her case.'An insider told the outlet that Maddox last month delivered testimony that 'wasn't very flattering toward Brad, and that 'he doesn't use Pitt as his last name on documents that aren't legal and instead uses Jolie. Maddox wants to legally change his last name to Jolie, which Angelina has said she doesn't support.'Jolie filed for divorce in 2016 - citing the 'the health of the family' - in the wake of a conflict on a private flight from France to Los Angeles in which she accused Pitt of behaving abusively to son Maddox, who was 15 at the time. The Academy Award-winning actor faced no charges in connection with the incident amid probes from the FBI and social services.

source : Daily mail