Angelina Jolie files $250 million countersuit against Brad Pitt

Maleficent star Angelina Jolie filed a countersuit this week accusing her ex-husband of “waging a vindictive war against her” and “hijacking” control of Château Miraval, a country estate and winery in southern France, purchased by the couple back in 2012.

According to CNN, Jolie’s suit, which was filed on behalf of her former company Nouvel LLC, alleges that Pitt, along with his “allies”, took “illegal and malicious actions” to “injure” Jolie and Nouvel, by “devaluing its investments and depriving it of its proper role in the management of Chateau Miraval.”

It also said that he had attempted to exclude her out of the winery in retaliation for the divorce and custody proceedings. The suit also includes allegations against Château Miraval directors as well as Pitt’s business partners, which are parties that Nouvel has accused of helping Pitt get Jolie out of Miraval Wine.

Previously, Pitt had sued Jolie over the “unlawful” — as his suit called it — sale of her share in the winery. In his claim, the actor had alleged that his former wife “did nothing to drive [the] growth” of the business that he had turned into a “multimillion-dollar international success story.”

However, Jolie’s countersuit disputed the claim and according to it, “Pitt refused to grant Jolie or Nouvel equal access to Chateau Miraval’s records or an equal voice over management,” controlling a huge part of her net worth.

The Fight Club actor’s suit did not specify an amount sought for damages but included a request for “relief that the Court deems just and proper” while the 47-year-old actress is seeking at least $250 million in compensatory damages.

The Kung Fu Panda voice actor sold Nouvel and its stake in Miraval, to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group, in October 2021.

The film producer’s lawsuit alleged that the sale was unlawful because he and Jolie had agreed to not sell the property without each other’s consent. On the other hand, Jolie’s countersuit stated that the sale was done after the negotiations to sell Nouvel to her ex-husband had fallen apart over “a provision designed to prohibit Jolie from publicly speaking about the events” leading to the “breakdown of their marriage.”

The former star couple had filed for divorce in September 2016 and their marriage was dissolved in 2019, but the legal battles over the custody of their minor children – Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne – and property continue.

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