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

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Published on Wednesday, 30 November -0001 00:00

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