ALISON BOSHOFF: Angelina Jolie to get key FBI report into THAT private jet scrap with Brad Pitt
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- Published on Saturday, 17 December 2022 08:27
- Written by Daily mail
Tis the season of goodwill — but there is no truce in the six-year battle between actress Angelina Jolie and ex-husband Brad Pitt.Jolie, 47 appears to be continuing to pursue Pitt, 58, via an anonymous court action between ‘Jane Doe’ and the FBI, which investigated an alleged altercation between the pair on a private jet in 2016.Pitt was accused of pouring red wine and beer over his ex and their children, and of assaulting them on the plane — claims which he denies.The allegations were investigated by the FBI, but no charges were brought.Details of the incident first surfaced in August this year, when a Freedom of Information court filing became public, and it can be revealed that the endgame is finally in sight. In new legal documents seen by this paper, the FBI has promised to give Jolie the documents from its investigation before the end of the month.According to court papers, during a recent status meeting, lawyers for ‘Jane Doe’ argued that she had been prevented from getting ‘qualified trauma care and domestic violence counselling to address harm suffered as the result of an in-air assault by John Doe’.They added that she needed the information in order to obtain ‘legal protection’ from her former husband.The suit was sparked after the FBI announced in September 2017 that there would be no charges brought over the plane incident.
Lawyers for the actress say that an FBI special agent prepared a statement of probable cause, which was presented to prosecutors, who then declined to proceed.Jolie’s legal team add that the ‘public mis-statement’ by the FBI over the closing of the investigation ‘contributed to the ongoing harm suffered by Ms Doe and the children by de-legitimising their experience’; and that she was not informed about the decision by the FBI.But sources in the Pitt camp disagree, suggesting the entire lawsuit is an aggressive media play by his former spouse. They insist both parties were given the report in 2017, and that Jolie was kept informed throughout.One said: ‘She has had the FBI report for six years and has used it in legal proceedings, so she has not been disadvantaged.‘The legal authorities investigated at the time and decided not to press charges.’The FBI, meanwhile, has said it will give Jolie the documents she has been seeking ‘in December’. It’s not clear, however, what exactly will be in those documents — and what the Bureau will choose to redact.Jolie and Pitt have been contesting custody of their six children — Maddox, 21; Pax, 19; Zahara, 17; Shiloh, 16; and twins Vivienne and Knox, 14 — ever since their split in 2016.The pair started a romance after co-starring in the 2005 movie Mr And Mrs Smith.
Jolie had already adopted Maddox at that stage — from an orphanage in Cambodia in 2002, while she was married to actor Billy Bob Thornton — but Pitt became the boy’s adoptive father in 2006. Together the couple then adopted three-year-old Pax from Vietnam; and baby Zahara from Ethiopia. They also had three children together: daughter Shiloh (in 2006) and twins Knox and Vivienne (in 2008).They were married in August 2014 at their house in rural France, but their legal union lasted just 25 months.In 2017, they hired a private judge — Judge John Ouderkirk, the same man who had married them — to mediate their divorce.Pitt was said to have quietly completed a ‘VIP rehab’; and admitted that he had been drinking too much and needed to go to AA meetings.Jolie accused Pitt of not paying her ‘meaningful support’ in 2018. He countered that he had loaned her $8 million to buy a home, and given a further $1.3 million for payment of bills.Initially, Jolie had primary custody of the children, who visited their father on a schedule. But in May 2021, Judge Ouderkirk granted Pitt 50/50 custody.Jolie then made a successful legal bid to disqualify Ouderkirk from the divorce case. A California appeals court ruled the judge had not sufficiently disclosed business relationships with Pitt’s attorneys, but did not overturn his 50/50 custody decision.Meanwhile, battle has also been joined over the couple’s French vineyard, Chateau Miraval. Jolie sold her 50 per cent stake in the Provencal winery last year — a move Pitt says was unlawful.
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source : Daily mail 
Angelina Jolie brands ex-husband Brad Pitt's legal battle over her wanting to sell her portion of their French winery as 'malicious' and 'frivolous'
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- Published on Sunday, 04 December 2022 16:50
- Written by Daily mail
Angelina Jolie continued to slam Brad Pitt amid their ongoing divorce battle, with the focus continuing to be on the ownership of their Chateau Miraval Winery.The father-of-six, 58, accused Jolie, 47, of selling her portion of the winery with the intent to willfully 'inflict harm' by entering into the sale with a total 'stranger,' thus violating their agreement.According to RadarOnline.com, who obtained court documents, Angelina slammed Brad's claims as 'frivolous, malicious, and part of a problematic pattern' as her legal team provided an update to the legal battle this week.Pitt claimed they both agreed not to sell their stake in the property without approving it with each other as they were both owners.The documents added, 'Pitt's allegations that he and Ms. Jolie had a secret, unwritten, unspoken contract to a consent right on the sale of their interests in the property is directly contrary to the written record and, among other legal defects, violative of the Statute of Frauds and public policy.'This comes after an email resurfaced recently where Jolie explained the rationale behind her decision to sell her share of the property.A TikTok user under the handle @magshrts1 posted content of the email, which the Oscar-winning actress wrote in January of 2021, which Entertainment Tonight confirmed in a court document.The Those Who Wish Me Dead actress said she had written the email 'so not to get emotional' in explaining her rationale behind her decision to sell her share of the winery.'It is the place we brought the twins home to, and where we were married over a plaque in my mother's memory,' Jolie said. 'A place that held the promise of what could be and where I thought I would grow old. Even now impossible to write this without crying. I will treasure my memories of what it was a decade ago.'The Los Angeles native said that the winery 'is also the place that marks the beginning of the end of our family - and a business that is centered around alcohol.'Jolie said she had hoped the winery 'somehow it could become something that held us together' but now saw how Pitt 'really wanted [her] out and will most likely be pleased to receive this email.' The Eternals star said in the prior four years, she witnessed 'lots of inconsiderate behavior' and felt excluded from the business end of the winery as there was 'money spent in ways that [she] would not have approved, and decisions made that [she] was not consulted on.'Jolie said she had 'been hurt by decisions that have been made that show no interest in sharing the business or changing it fundamentally into something that would be healthier for our children.'Jolie was critical of advertising of the winery, saying she 'was shaken by the recent imagery that was released to sell the alcohol.'I find it irresponsible and not something that I would want the children to see,' she said. 'It reminded me of painful times.' Jolie said she could no longer 'be involved, publicly or privately, in a business based on alcohol, when alcoholic behavior harmed our family so deeply;' and that the 'business is therefore past the point of anything that [she] could be part of, morally and for the good of our family.'Jolie said she saw 'two ways forward,' the first being an 'outright sale' she'd support in an effort to 'move away from this hard and painful chapter in our lives.'She continued: 'The alternative is that a complete buy out of my share in the property and business by you, the Perrin family or your associates. Either way, I believe we need to move forward in order to heal and focus on where our family comes together, and where we have positive associations. And to do so quickly.'Jolie made reference to a 2016 incident on a private jet in which previously she said in court docs that Pitt 'lunged at his own child;' 'choked one of the children and struck another in the face;' and 'poured beer' on her.' Said Jolie: 'I cannot begin to express how upsetting it is for me to have to reach this point. Your dream for your relationship to the business and the alcohol is your own and you've made it painfully clear. 'I wish you all the best with the business, and sincerely hope that the children feel differently about Miraval when they are older, and visit you there. But Miraval for me died September 2016, and everything I have seen in the years since has sadly confirmed that.'Jolie in February was sued by Pitt after she sold her share of the winery to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler and his Stoli Group subsidiary, Tenute del Mondo. Pitt said in court docs that while Jolie did pledge 40 percent of the $28.4 million they invested in the winery, she had not done any work on the project. He said that the sale also violated a 'mutual understanding' in their 2019 divorce pact in that they agreed not to sell their interest in the venue without the approval of the other. In September, Jolie's one-time company Nouvel sued Pitt for $250 million, saying he 'masterminded a so-far-successful plan' to control the winery.Jolie and Pitt are parents to six children: Maddox, 21, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 16 and twins Vivienne and Knox, 14.Pitt and Jolie, who wed in 2014 and split in 2016, have been entangled in the legal system amid battles on multiple issues over the past six years.
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source : Daily mail
'Vindictive' Angelina Jolie has used dispute with Brad Pitt over winery to mount 'disinformation' campaign against him – rehashing claims of abusive behavior despite her proposal they NOT trash each other in public
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- Published on Friday, 07 October 2022 05:50
- Written by Daily mail
Brad Pitt's allies say vengeful Angelina Jolie is mounting a 'disinformation' campaign against the actor by using their ongoing business dispute to dredge up her claims of domestic violence.Sources close to the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star, 58, say he's saddened – but not shocked – that Jolie has once again publicly accused him of terrorizing their kids on a 2016 private jet ride.Jolie, 47, pressed authorities to investigate the mid-flight bust-up that led to the Hollywood couple's divorce but the FBI decided not to pursue criminal charges.That hasn't prevented her from weaponizing the 'ever-evolving' allegations at every possible opportunity, according to Pitt's pals, who have slammed the Tomb Raider actress for repeating them yet again this past week – this time in a dispute over a French winery, Miraval.They also accuse Jolie of hypocrisy for complaining about Pitt's request for a Non-disclosure agreement (NDA) while privately proposing the exact same thing to Pitt's lawyers in separate divorce negotiations.The former couple – once known as Brangelina – are locked in a protracted legal battle over the celebrated Chateau Miraval business they jointly owned before Jolie 'secretly' offloaded her half to a 'Russian oligarch' in 2021.Responding to Pitt's claims she had no right to sell, Jolie's latest filing counters with a lengthy account of the incident on board a flight from France to California that triggered the breakdown of their five-year marriage and joint business ventures.Jolie's filing claims Pitt flew into a rage, grabbing her by the head, shaking her, and shoving her into a bathroom wall before punching the ceiling numerous times.When one of their six kids, then-aged between eight and 15, came to their mom's defense, the two-time Oscar-winner is alleged to have 'lunged at his own child', prompting Jolie to grab him from behind.'To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane's seats injuring Jolie's back and elbow,' the countersuit states.'The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face,' she claimed. But sources close to Brad are fighting back.
Brad's lawyer Anne Kiley told DailyMail.com: 'Brad has owned everything he's responsible for from day one – unlike the other side – but he's not going to own anything he didn't do.''He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation. Thankfully, the various public authorities the other side has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions.'Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.' The FBI and reportedly the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services both declined to take further action against him in the wake of the spat.Sources close to the actor point out that a judge listened to Jolie's accusations during their months-long, closed-doors child custody battle which involved doctors, therapists and child services professionals.Judge John Ouderkirk rejected the notion Pitt was an unfit father by awarding him joint custody in May 2021, although Jolie later succeeded in having the judge disqualified over his business relationships with Pitt's attorneys. One insider told DailyMail.com: 'The FBI concluded there was no basis for charges and the judge effectively sided with Brad because he would not award joint custody if he felt a father was a danger to his children.'Quite what an argument onboard a private plane in 2016 has to do with a property dispute involving a 19th century French chateau is anybody's guess.'This is just about Jolie trying to rehash everything and tear Brad down at every opportunity. Her story continues to evolve every time she tells it.'The abuse allegations resurfaced in April of this year when a mystery 'Jane Doe' sued the FBI for files connected to 'an incident of domestic violence that occurred several years ago involving plaintiff and minor children as victims and witnesses.'That episode took place on board a private jet and bore numerous similarities to the Pitt-Jolie dust-up, according to NBC news, prompting intense speculation that Jolie was the Doe.
The suit, filed under Freedom of Information law, is intended to 'better understand the FBI's investigation and obtain information necessary for her children to receive medical care and trauma counseling.' Pitt and Jolie were ruled legally single in 2019 – but are still sorting out their labyrinthine financial affairs and custody arrangements to this day.The latest skirmish involves Chateau Miraval, a 35-room estate and celebrated vineyard in the south of France that Pitt and Jolie bought for $60 million in 2011.Pitt claims Jolie illegally sold her shares last year to companies linked to Stoli vodka billionaire Yuri Shefler, potentially tarnishing the image of Miraval's highly-regarded rosé wine in light of associations with Russia and the invasion of Ukraine.'Through text messages sent in January 2022, Shefler made various threats against Pitt,' the suit adds.'Even after Pitt's counsel advised Shefler's counsel that all communications must go through counsel, Shefler has continued to personally message Pitt.'Responding to the suit filed in Los Angeles County, Jolie claims she was 'growing increasingly uncomfortable with continuing to participate in an alcohol-related business, given the impact of Pitt's acknowledged problem of alcohol abuse on their family.''Resigned that Pitt would not share control of the winery or distribute any profits, concerned about participating in a business that was associated with such painful and traumatic memories for her and their children, and seeking financial independence, Jolie concluded that she needed to sell her interest in Chateau Miraval,' she says.Jolie claims a $54.5 million deal was struck to sell her share to Pitt but he angrily backed out after she submitted claims of domestic violence in their child custody case – a claim he refutes.She also maintains that the deal was contingent on her signing a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) 'that would have contractually prohibited her from speaking outside of court about Pitt's physical and emotional abuse of her and their children.' Sources close to Pitt say he's never tried to stop his wife from speaking, nor has he ever disparaged her in public.
In fact, they reveal that it was Jolie who suggested an NDA in February of this year when lawyers for the two stars finally tried to negotiate a settlement in their years-long divorce proceedings.The measure would have prevented either party from making derogatory remarks about the other in 'a public forum' but DailyMail.com understands that Jolie's team never followed up on the idea – leaving her free to say what she liked.That revelation was significant enough for the New York Times to quietly amend its 'exclusive' scoop, published Tuesday, rehashing the six-year-old allegations and prominently featuring Jolie's NDA complaint.The Grey Lady slipped in a paragraph confirming the actress had proposed her own non-disparagement proposal to Pitt's divorce lawyer, Anne Kiley, earlier this year – but did not publish any sort of note explaining its editorial update.'Ironically, she's the one that wanted to suppress the divorce proceedings,' added our insider.'Brad requested a mutual NDA and non-disparagement strictly related to Miraval over concerns around sensitive financial information and protecting the brand; it had nothing to do with the divorce or the children.'She used the FOIA and Chateau Miraval to bring up all the dirty laundry and denigrate Brad yet again.'What kind of person files a FOIA request for information they've had in their possession for nearly six years? It serves no purpose other than to inflict pain.'And how on earth does it help their children to continually drag them into this?'Pitt and Jolie met in 2005 on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith, playing a bored married couple who discover they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill one another.They married at Chateau Miraval in 2014 and parented six kids – three biological and three adopted – who are now aged between 14 and 21.Pitt has not shied away from his flaws, telling GQ magazine in the wake of their split that he was quitting booze and seeking therapy.'It's hit me smack in the face with our divorce: I gotta be more. I gotta be more for them. I have to show them. And I haven't been great at it,' he said.DailyMail.com reached out to Jolie's representatives for comment.
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source : Daily mail
Brad Pitt 'choked' one of his children and 'slapped another in the face' during spat on private jet - where he also 'grabbed ex-wife Angelina Jolie by the head', new lawsuit by the actress claims
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- Published on Wednesday, 05 October 2022 05:59
- Written by Daily mail
Angelina Jolie filed explosive court documents on Tuesday as part of her long-running separation battle with actor Brad Pitt, accusing her ex-husband of having 'choked' one of their six children during a violent dispute on a private jet, hitting another in the face, and slamming the actress against a wall while grabbing her hair.Jolie said Pitt's behavior on the September 2016 flight from France to California left the children crying and traumatized, and left her with injuries to her back and elbow.Five days after the flight she filed for divorce, and in September 2021 she sold her stake in the French winery she co-owned with Pitt. He sued her over the sale, and on Tuesday she counter-sued, blaming him for sparking the highly-public mud slinging.'She has gone to great lengths to try to shield their children from reliving the pain Pitt inflicted on the family that day,' Jolie's lawyers write.'But when Pitt filed this lawsuit seeking to reassert control over Jolie's financial life and compel her to rejoin her ex-husband as a frozen-out business partner, Pitt forced Jolie to publicly defend herself on these issues for the first time.'Jolie spelled out in detail the violent altercation in September 2016, which she said led to their divorce and the current dispute over the winery.The couple, first linked up in 2005, bought the winery, Chateau Miraval, in 2008.Jolie said that, when they bought the property, their respective representatives discussed signing an agreement, setting out the terms of how the property would be split if the couple separated.But she said Pitt did not want any such agreement.Jolie's lawyers say that Pitt's financial manager wrote in an email: 'Early in the process I raised the issue of a buy / sell agreement between A & B but was told by Brad it wasn't necessary for two reasonable people to have such an agreement.'The idea was dropped, and the pair were married at the chateau in August 2014.In the court documents, she said she considered it an investment for their family, plus a home.Jolie accused Pitt of failing to consult her on the development of the estate and installing a fifth swimming pool at a cost of one million euros.But she said she did not object at the time.'Jolie had always taken an active role in design for any home she had lived in (and those she has since lived in), and when she and Pitt purchased the chateau, initially expected to do the same for their new home,' her lawyers write.'But Pitt pushed for creative control consistent with his own taste and vision.'While Jolie would have preferred a more collaborative approach, she acquiesced to Pitt's desire to take control over the project, although she sometimes questioned why, for example, the chateau needed a fifth pool at the cost of one million euros, or why the same staircase needed to be rebuilt four times.'If Jolie ever questioned such expenditures, Pitt defended them as critical to his vision for the chateau.' Jolie said that the marriage 'came to an end' on the September 14, 2016, flight.'Throughout the long, overnight flight, Pitt was physically and emotionally abusive to Jolie and their children, who were then between the ages of 8 and 15,' the court documents claim.'After that flight, for her family's well-being, Jolie decided to file for divorce.'
She said that Pitt 'had a confrontation' with one of the children before arriving at the airport, and when Jolie asked him on the plane what was wrong, he 'accused her of being too deferential to the children and verbally attacked her.'Jolie alleges that Pitt, 90 minutes later, sought Jolie out and reprimanded her for her actions.'He pulled her into the bathroom and began yelling at her,' the court documents state.'Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall.'Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.'As she exited, one of their children asked, 'Are you ok, mommy?''Pitt yelled back, "No, mommy's not ok" and started deriding Jolie with insults.'Jolie claims that when one of the children spoke up in her defense, Pitt 'lunged' at the child, and Jolie grabbed him to stop him.'To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane's seats injuring Jolie's back and elbow.'The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other.'Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face.'Some of the children pleaded with Pitt to stop. They were all frightened. Many were crying.' For the rest of the flight, 'to avoid Pitt's wrath', Jolie and the children 'sat still and silent under blankets.'The lawyers write: 'Nobody dared to go to the bathroom. Pitt periodically emerged from the back of the plane to yell and swear at them.'At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children.'After many tense hours, Pitt finally fell asleep.'On landing, Jolie woke him up and told him she and the children were going to a hotel instead of to their home.'He shouted that nobody was getting off the plane and prevented the family from deplaning for about 20 minutes,' the court documents state.'After a child intervened and demanded to leave, Pitt finally relented.'But once outside the plane door, Pitt again physically abused one of their children.'He also grabbed and shook Jolie by the head and shoulders, causing one of the children to beg, 'Don't hurt her.''He let Jolie go, but then called her a 'b****,' before adding, 'F*** you, f*** you all.''An investigation was launched, but no charges were ever filed.Seven months later, in April 2022, Jolie under the alias 'Jane Doe' sued the FBI, seeking to know why the inquiry was dropped.Her actions were only revealed in August this year when Rolling Stone magazine obtained a copy of the FBI report.
Jolie's anonymous suit alleged that she'd filed countless requests for a copy of the department's investigative file to gain a 'better understanding the FBI's investigation and obtaining information necessary for her children to receive medical care and trauma counseling.' 'With Chateau Miraval now her most important asset, Jolie began to seek a more active role both in understanding the chateau and winery's various projects and in understanding and overseeing its finances,' the court documents state.'As disputes and complications arose in the related divorce and custody proceedings, Pitt's conduct hardened as he attempted to cement his control over the winery.'She accuses Pitt of attempting to freeze her out of the business and using the revenue from the business to fund his own projects.'Pitt's refusal to distribute profits alone gave him substantial leverage and control over Jolie in their ongoing disputes,' she said.By 2019, Jolie was growing increasingly uncomfortable with continuing to participate in an alcohol-related business, given the impact of Pitt's acknowledged problem of alcohol abuse on their family.'Resigned that Pitt would not share control of the winery or distribute any profits, concerned about participating in a business that was associated with such painful and traumatic memories for her and their children, and seeking financial independence, Jolie concluded that she needed to sell her interest in Chateau Miraval.'Pitt has argued that Jolie unilaterally sold her stake to multinational drinks giant Stoli, but Jolie on Tuesday argued she offered Pitt the chance to buy her out.She said a $54.5 million deal was reached to sell her share to Pitt, but he backed out when she filed allegations of violence.'In the couple's child custody case, Jolie submitted under seal (meaning no member of the public could see any portion of it except the document title) an 'Offer of Proof and Authority re Testimony Regarding Domestic Violence.''This filing apparently enraged Pitt, and in response to that submission, on March 26, 2021, Pitt's team notified Jolie's team that Pitt was 'stepping back' from the Miraval deal.' She sold her stake to Stoli in September 2021 and is now seeking a judge's final approval for the sale.
'After failing to bully Jolie into agreeing to a non-disparagement clause in exchange for her economic freedom and security, Pitt now claims that Jolie was not authorized to sell her interest in Chateau Miraval and is asking the Court to unwind the sale,' Jolie's lawyers write.'Again, Pitt's entire case against Jolie is premised largely on his supposed unwritten, unspoken agreement to always give the other a consent or veto right over any sale of the other's interest in the chateau and winery no matter the circumstances and no matter whether they even remained a couple.'But the first time Jolie ever heard of this supposed consent right was when she was alerted to press reports that Pitt had sued her and later read Pitt's complaint.'The court documents conclude: 'Jolie requests that the Court declare that no such agreement exists and that Jolie's sale of Nouvel to Stoli's subsidiary is final.'With these declarations, Jolie can finally have what she thought she had when she sold Nouvel to Stoli in 2021: To move on from the winery and chateau, to have financial independence from her ex-husband, and to finally have some form of peace and closure to this deeply painful and traumatic chapter of her and their children's lives.'A source close to Pitt told DailyMail.com: 'She continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened six years ago by adding completely untrue information each time she fails to get what she wants. Her story is constantly evolving.'The source added: 'She had the chance to share this during the lengthy custody trial, which resulted in the judge granting 50-50 custody to Pitt following in-depth observations and analysis by doctors, therapists, and other experts. 'Her and her team go back to the same thing month after month with new and false information.'
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source : Daily mail
Grapes of wrath! Angelina Jolie's former company sues Brad Pitt for $250MILLION claiming he 'stole' their French wine business from her and secretly moved assets to friends and vanity projects to ensure she'd 'never see a dime' of its profits
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 07 September 2022 06:57
- Written by Daily mail
Angelina Jolie's former company is suing Brad Pitt for $250million for allegedly stealing their wine business from her. A cross-complaint filed today by Nouvel LLC is a legal clap-back after Pitt sued Jolie claiming she illegally sold her stake in Chateau Miraval, a French castle and wine brand. Jolie held her shares of the wine company through her firm, Nouvel, but sold it to beverage giant Stoli last year. Nouvel's filing claims Pitt tried to 'secretly move assets' from their co-owned business to his friends and other companies, spent 'millions on vanity projects' including $1million on a swimming pool and more on a recording studio, and gave away half the company's trademarks to a friend for free. The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $250million. Jolie's former company claims Pitt's alleged scheme meant she would 'never see a dime' of Chateau Miraval's 'tens of millions of dollars in profits.' 'In retaliation for the divorce and custody proceedings, Pitt embarked on a multi-faceted, years-long campaign to seize control of Chateau Miraval and appropriate the company's assets for his benefit and that of his own companies and friends,' the lawsuit says. 'Appointing himself the rightful owner of Chateau Miraval, his twin objectives were to usurp the value of Jolie's company, Nouvel, and to obtain sole ownership of Chateau Miraval.' Nouvel's lawsuit claims that 'Ever since his former wife, Angelina Jolie, filed for divorce from him in 2016, Brad Pitt has been waging a vindictive war against her' and says the lawsuit aims to 'seek redress for the illegal and malicious actions of Pitt and his allies to injure Nouvel by devaluing its investments'. The suit says that she wanted to sell her half to him when they split, but Pittallegedly tried to add gag clauses about their fights in the contract. 'Pitt knew that much of Jolie's wealth and liquidity were tied up in Nouvel and used that fact to try to force Jolie to agree to his unreasonable terms,' it says. She eventually sold Nouvel, including her wine company stake, to international beverage company Stoli Group. The lawsuit claims Pitt refused to work with the new co-owner and spread 'lies' that its owner, Yuri Shefler' is 'an ally of Vladimir Putin' – when in fact the company has sued the Russian government and Shefler was allegedly the subject of a kidnap attempt orchestrated by the Kremlin. The lawsuit adds that Pitt's scheme to hive off the wine company 'was aided by his allies, including Chateau Miraval directors Gary Bradbury, Roland Venturini, and Warren Grant, and his business partners, Marc Perrin, Familles Perrin, and Miraval Provence.' 'Nouvel filed a criminal complaint in France against Bradbury and Venturini for putting Chateau Miraval's assets to a use that they know is against the interest of the corporation, in bad faith,' the document says.
Pitt's business associates are also the subject of a criminal complaint filed by Nouvel in France, according to the cross-complaint. Jolie and Pitt bought the chateau together in 2008 and used it as their 2014 wedding venue. The southern French castle has 35 rooms and 1,300 acres of grounds and vineyards. The couple bought it for $25million in 2008 by purchasing the Luxembourg company, Quimicum, in which it is held.Initially, Pitt's firm Mondo Bongo had 60% of the shares and Jolie's Nouvel had 40%. But Nouvel's lawsuit says that 'the couple always intended that Pitt and Jolie would be equal owners', and in 2013 Pitt 'voluntarily' transferred 10% of his shares to her. Pitt has launched a lawsuit in Luxembourg claiming that 10% transfer was invalid. That case is pending. They stayed business partners despite their divorce, until last year when Jolie sold her stake in October 2021 to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of Stoli Group. The two Hollywood stars each owned their half of the wine company through their own LLCs: Mondo Bongo LLC for Brad and Nouvel LLC for Angelina. Pitt sued her in June claiming that she 'sought to inflict harm' on him and that she had agreed not to sell her share without his consent. His lawsuit describes Chateau Miraval as 'one of the world's most highly regarded producers of rosé wine' and a 'multimillion-dollar global business'. He claims Jolie contributed 'nothing to Miraval's success' and that her buyer Shefler was 'bent on taking control of Miraval.' 'Jolie has sought to force Pitt into partnership with a stranger, and worse yet, a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions,' his lawsuit said. But according to Jolie's ex-company's counter-claim filed today in a Los Angeles court, that's just sour grapes. Her suit even accuses Pitt and his colleagues of profligate spending on the firm's dime. 'Pitt, Bradbury, and Venturini improperly diverted millions in dividends paid to Chateau Miraval from the Miraval Provence wine business to personal projects that lacked any legitimate business purpose, including spending over a million euros of the business' funds on a swimming pool and close to three million euros on 'garment works',' her lawsuit said.
'Pitt also spent Chateau Miraval's money on personal projects apparently for the benefit of Pitt and Mondo Bongo's other portfolio investments, including a recording studio on the Miraval estate, which Pitt structured so that Nouvel has no direct ownership interest.' Nouvel’s lawsuit claims that Jolie never saw ‘a dime’ of Chateau Miraval’s ‘tens of millions of dollars’ in profits. It claims Pitt and his associates instead ‘improperly diverted millions in dividends’ to ‘personal projects’ including a swimming pool, ‘garment work’ and a recording studio. ‘What Brad’s doing is out of spite for his ex wife,’ a source close to Nouvel told DailyMail.com. ‘Most of the world would consider this theft, although Nouvel aren’t claiming theft here. ‘He’s basically just seized control of Chateau Miraval and is doing whatever he wants, including spending the profits that should’ve gone up to Jolie when she owned Nouvel, wasting them on his own pet vanity projects.’ Jolie and Pitt - whose marriage collapsed in 2016 - are parents to six children. Aside from Maddox, now 21, they also share twins Knox and Vivienne, 14, as well as daughters Shiloh, 16, Zahara, 17, and son Pax, 18. Although Jolie reportedly still has custody of the children, Pitt 'pushes to see them as often as possible wherever they all are in the world,' the insider said. 'Brad cherishes every moment he gets with the kids. He loves being a parent and has tried to make the best of a tricky situation given how hostile it's been with Angelina.' Since Pitt and Jolie began squabbling over custody, Pax and Maddox have reached adulthood, and Zahara will join them in January. When his marriage disintegrated, Pitt quit drinking, and shortly thereafter he told GQ that before he dried out 'I can't remember a day since I got out of college where I wasn't boozing or had a spliff, or something.'
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source : Daily mail
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