Back in July, there was an interesting story from TMZ, the men’s rights advocacy media group. According to TMZ, Angelina had filed papers to get a judge to lift the restraining order on her joint assets with Brad Pitt. After five years of divorce bullsh-t, Jolie wanted to sell her half of the Chateau Miraval wine business. She had found a buyer and she was getting a good price for it, and the only hold up was the still-existing restraining order on selling jointly-held assets. Because after five years, Angelina and Brad’s divorce still isn’t over, and the financial stuff hasn’t even been worked on yet.
There were lawyers in the comments and on Twitter who read Angelina’s filing and said that Jolie wanted out of Miraval because Brad was bringing strangers into the business without giving Jolie notice for the decisions he made. She felt like her half (her investment) was being poorly managed and she wanted out. Well, quelle surprise, now Brad has filed a lawsuit against Angelina over her attempt to sell her half.
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. 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.’
What in the world? In July, Angelina went to court to get the financial restraining order taken off because she had a buyer for her half. In her legal filing, she told the court that she contacted Pitt and the Miraval team about her desire to get out of the property and her desire to sell to a third party, and she also told the court that Pitt had not done anything about it. Instead of dealing with this privately, he’s now suing her for being “vindictive” when he has known about her desire to sell her half for months. She wasn’t trying to “carve Pitt out of the deal,” she was trying to separate herself from their largest jointly-held asset, and she had informed him (and the court) about it. God, Brad Pitt continues to be the absolute worst.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
What an absolute dick! The “vindictive” person is him, not Jolie!😒
Yes! He is vindictive and abusive, his behavior in court is clearly litigation abuse (which totally makes me believe he was abusive bevor)
she just wants to get away from him and fully extract herself from any joint assets, and he’s been preventing this divorce from being finalized.
but nooooooooo, SHE’S the one who’s vindictive. PUHleez. in his (warped) thinking, her dumping him/ghosting him/filing for divorce was “vindictive”.
just let her go, you big bully.
I deal in ROFRs all the time, they are simple as pie if you are matching a third-party offer.
What this is really about is him trying to nullify the transfer of shares to her years ago in Mongo Bongo, which was what (combined with her 40% stake in the property through Nouvel) gave her equal ownership of the business. Since it doesn’t sound as good to the press to say that is the goal, he has to lead with this ROFR nonsense, and throw in little potshots that serve no purpose, such as calling her vindictive.
Dollars to donuts, the reason this lawsuit happened was she went to him to exercise his ROFR for the 50% and he refused on the basis that she only owned 40% and the share value pro rata at 40% would not be as valuable as an equal stake. I’m guessing from there her buyer looked at the circumstances, felt the argument was nonsense, and was fine to move forward with the deal anyway, which means he has to sue if he really wants to make a play for that 10% he is now calling into question.
Have to say, hard to understand how he can in one breath claim she doesn’t have a 50% interest, while in the next argue her refusal to approve budgets, etc. damaged the property (not sure why she would have approval rights as a minority owner that would allow her to stymie operations)….
Thanks Superashes! I was wondering how on earth he could make an argument regarding the ROFRs since they’re so cut and dry. But the fight about the 10% makes more sense (in the context of bringing a lawsuit).
Thank you for your expert insights. What about Brad’s apparent first right of refusal? I could imagine him wanting to by her share himself or at least be able to weigh in on her buyer.
If Angelina went to him with the offer, and it was for a 50% interest, he could have agreed and bought, or he could do what he is doing now, which is to argue she doesn’t have an actual 50% interest. That is what I think is going on.
To argue the prior transfer giving her equal standing is void is nonsense. Typically “a peppercorn” is sufficient consideration for a contract to be enforceable, and an assignment of shares/membership interests is a contract.
Thanks super ashes. That is how I read this too. BP is clearly abusive and using the same legal abuse tactics that Depp is using. Both have clearly shown to me that they were both abusive. Easy to see neither one can give up control over Jolie/Heard. I feel so sad for both women. It seems so obvious.
Yes talk about projection on his part!
I think he likes to keep her in court as a way of stalking her. He is obsessed.
She gave him all the rope and he hung himself with it. What a jerk.
Exactly, it’s pretty clear once Angelina got rid of corrupt Laura Wasser and hired amazing Samantha, they had a concise plan and following it through.
Angelina is following the courts and systematically getting rid of Brad’s abuse.
But Laura is so popular in hollywood I cant believe she was being corrupt. There was a she was everybodys lawyer ,I wonder how you can even divide your time effectively.
I do not think Wasser is corrupt at all.
Brad Pitt has a malicious personality disorder and Wasser’s style does not work with abusers.
Wasser isn’t corrupt, she just has dirtbag clients like Johnny Depp.
Corrupt? That’s quite an accusation based on…?
Wasser’s handled dozens of celebrity divorces, and apparently her tactic is to keep it low key and settle out of court, co-parent, etc. It became clear that wasn’t happening with this case, and I think Angelina realized she wasn’t the right lawyer for her, and needed someone more specialized in custody battles. Angelina’s needs changed so she changed lawyers. It’s not some big drama.
I do find her representing Depp to be pretty gross, however.
I agree LUCY2. I don’t think she’s necessarily corrupt..at least not on the same level as Brad’s lawyer and the judge. I think she stays away from high conflict cases so she can take on multiple cases. She knows her peers aren’t working by the books but pushes it to side because well….it’s a man’s world. Also we gotta Remer remember she played dirty too and leaked Brad’s treatment plan. I know she leaks small details about her clients to TMZ but has she done something like that beore?
what a way to prove you’re not abusive…
this. this is textbook narcissistic abuse by using the courts. Brad is showing who he is and has been since this marriage fell apart. the fact that this divorce process is dragging on longer than their actual marriage says it all. he doesn’t care about those kids. he doesn’t care about anything except himself and hurting Angelina. i am done with this guy.
I think we all know who is the “vindictive” one.
YUP!
Angelina continues to first give Brad a chance to settle things but knows he won’t do it.
It’s clear that Angelina and her lawyers are brilliantly moving the chess pieces by getting everything on paper. She has evidence of asking Brad first if he wants to buy her out but he ignored her for months. Now, she has a buyer and can legally sell her own shares.
European courts are notoriously hard on legality and Brad won’t be able to bully nor buy his way out of this.
With back to back losses in courts, Brad is done. Angelina and the children are slowly but surely cutting all ties with him.
Weinstein issue really has opened people’s eyes regarding Brad as his usual smear campaign isn’t working. Twitter is rightly calling him out.
There’s always a time limit built into a right of first refusal. I have no idea what’s going on with the structure of their finances, haven’t read the filing, so this is me talking out of my ass here.
If Angelina notified Brad of the potential sale, Brad’s team didn’t answer and the time limit passed, then she’s fulfilled her obligations under ROFR. I guess one of my questions is whether the restraining order on sales counts towards the time limit on the ROFR.
Also Brad seems to be steadily gaining a reputation for mismanagement/shady dealings with his money. (Hurricane Katrina houses, anyone?) Wonder what the state of his finances are. Like, did he have to pay his summer fling a lot of money to get her to go away?
I agree that there is always a time limit and I think Brad passed that. Hence the reason Angelina is selling her shares to an outsider. Angelina has been following the rules from the beginning so I believe she has been doing the same here.
Regarding Brad’s finances, I firmly believe he is another Johnny Depp. He is losing millions in management, other smear campaigns and law suits.
Angelina has always been practical whtt Dr n it comes to her money. She is also getting millions from her Disney & Marvel deals. I also think she gets a share of the profits from Guerlain.
Why doesn’t he buy her out then? This is the easiest solution.
Well how could he control her by doing something as straight forward as that?
@Zapp: Brad is a terrible person for doing this. I also think he’s trying to bankrupt her by keeping her in court.
Exactly! She notified his team she had a buyer, if he wanted the other half, he could’ve made a competing offer right then and there.
I don’t think he can afford it. Also, there’s significant risk to owning 100% of (what sounds like) an increasingly financially unstable enterprise. Having a partner means they share both the profits, but also have share the losses. If Brad owned it entirely, he’d have to absorb all the losses resulting from whatever financial mismanagement has been going on behind the scenes.
I don’t know what the margins are in the wine business, but I can only guess that it’s taken a hit during the pandemic, with restaurants being closed and all. Does anyone know how much Chateau Miraval ranks in terms of price and quality? Maybe it hits that sour spot where it’s good enough to be expensive, but not good enough to be a significant contender among serious collectors. Too expensive to make significant sales at supermarkets, but not quality enough to be something wine enthusiasts are willing to shell money out when there are better options available. Maybe they’re selling at a loss.
Again, just rampant, unfounded speculation on my part.
But thinking about it more, if this were strictly business, why would Brad have a problem with having a different investor on board? So… yeah. There must be a vindictive, f-cked up, emotional aspect to it.
She been trying to sell her half of the business for years. So 3 and 4 years ago we weren’t in a pandemic.
I hear the Miraval Rosé (Côtes de Provence) is really good and it literally sells out in minutes. Price is around $28-$30 USD. The estate itself is worth around $165 million today. Interestingly enough, Brad stiffed the lighting designer who did an installation at the Chateau – he insisted he was the designer and she merely followed his instructions. As a result, he and Angelina are now on the hook to pay her $500K. However I think the Chateau is very successful as it doesn’t just produce wine. It can be rented out, has olive groves, a private lake, a dirt-bike course, twin helicopter pads, and a recording studio on the property where The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and other artists have recorded albums. I’m sure Angelina could sell her half in an instant but Brad, as usual, is being a total dirt-bag about it.
The vindictive, f*cked up emotional aspect is simple. He will never, ever forgive Angie for leaving him and taking the kids, and he wants to hurt her as much as possible.
Miraval is good – it was my “go to” wine when I still drank. But it does not sell out in minutes – I used to buy it at the high end grocery store or Target. It’s about $20/bottle.
I hate him so much.
Oh dear sweet Jesus, how did this get so messy? SMDH Brad, why don’t you just leave this the heck alone? Aaaaaahh, they both make my teeth hurt, both him and Angelina Jolie.
Who would have thought that someone who cheated on his wife and someone who got involved with a man while he was married would end up with a messy divorce themselves. (Sarcasm font)
They need to clean this mess up privately. They are both running to the media non-stop and the children will pay the emotional price.
Jolie is only using brad’s way of communicating now, he was running to the media for five years.
No Jolie can decide to be the better person but clearly she isn’t. The they go low you go high, but clearly they both have decided who they go low, just meet them in the gutter and roll with them. They both acting like kids and its very disappointing to say the least. I mean their respective fans can make excuses for them all they want but this is just ridiculous. Clearly, none of them is thinking about the kids and what effect it’s gonna have in them, everyone of them is focused on crushing the other, and win, win, win. Where are the parents? They both need to quit acting like fools. Leaking their stuff to the media isn’t helping anyone but in fact hurting their children, grrhrr.🥶
Ah, yes, refusing to “go high” when your abuser goes low makes you as bad as your abuser. Just love seeing whataboutthechildren used to gag a woman, as it traditionally always has been used.
@BabsORIG i’m so tired of people telling abused women to BE THE BIGGER PERSON. clearly you’ve never dealt with an abusive narcissist. I have watched my ex go through it with his ex wife for YEARS. it’s brutal. and no matter how much we worked to make it ok for their young son and keep him out of it, when it comes to court and the games abusers play, you sometimes have to put things out there to blow up their lies. the only person who would outright suffer from the continuous smear campaign Brad and his team has waged from day one, is Angelina. Brad still gets standing O’s at awards shows for being the golden boy. enough is enough. The kids are also old enough now to understand much of what is happening here. which is why they want to testify. the blame rests on Brad for dragging this out and throwing the mother of his children under the bus over and over again.
If she wanted to go low, we would know what happened on that airplane. Can’t believe you think they’re equal in terms of ignorance towards each other.
@BabsORIG: Jolie is being the better person — simply fighting for what’s right and fair isn’t refusing to go high. Their kids don’t even want to see him, that’s how bad it was, and she’s been a wonderful single parent. She’s followed the legal rules every step of the way but Brad just keeps deliberately f*cking her around, so no Babs, clearly ONE of them is thinking constantly about the kids and it ain’t Brad.
I’m tired of people using Michelle Obama’s “go high” to justify women being abused or silenced. Angelina Jolie has every right to use the courts to protect her children and herself. She’s been remarkably restrained in what she says publicly so far as I know.
Uhm, IIRC, this is not the first divorce for the both of them, so they BOTH know how to do things more quietly when it comes to divorces. Also, I thought they both were the best thing that ever happened to each other, no? I thought JA was the worst person on the entire universe, while BP was the most perfectest guy that JA misunderstood, LOL. Please, BOTH AJ and BP need to shut the f up and stop airing their dirty laundry in the tabloids. Their first divorces were done quietly, and both were resolved with no drama; the same can be done with this one. And they both are equally manipulative and conniving, none more than the other. And they both need to quit using their kids as pawns in their dog fight, period.
@BabsORIG
When was Jen and Pitt’s divorce quit or drama free?
Please let’s be real you don’t care about their kids.
.
I guess the lesson we’re supposed to learn from this is that NOBODY leaves Brad Pitt. He’s Brad f—ing Pitt, for god’s sake! He will not be IGNORED!
He’s a bunny boiler to be sure. I hope the kids didn’t leave any pets at his house.
That was my thought as well!
Poor, poor Angelina. She didn’t even want to get married in the first place.
He is such a prick! And I thought he could not get any worse.
@ Myra Ah, yes, but a narcissist can and will always get worse. That’s the essence of their nature, which this whole situation proves.
@Ianne – Your comment made me laugh. “I won’t be ignored, Angelina!”
Bunny boiler! Exactly.
They previously had a bull dog that has yet to be seen since the divorce. But he was always ‘Brad’s’ dog. Uh oh.
This is how abusers try to manipulate even during or after separation and unfortunately a lot of the time the legal system gives them a avenue to do so. This shows that he was always a controlling abuser and is still trying to control her via lawsuits and financial abuse because making someone spend countless dollars on court fees is a form of financial abuse.
Hes absolutely disgusting.
^ this 100%. I’m going through my own version of this and it’s a nightmare. They think we’re things to be owned, possessed. Not actually human beings who have autonomy and agency.
Brad Pitt is unravelling, he is not used to being the dumpee I see. This has come as a shock to him as he usually does the dumping.
The summons is dated for 2019. I am not familiar with law in luxemburg but are these an amended summons? In the US we file an amended summons if we are adding a party or changing the complaint. If it’s not an error then it looks like he’s manipulating the story for the media once again.
Not surprising that he would he and his team have been doing that all along.
it’s unfortunate but he’s taking advantage of the fact that people take tabloids as face value.
Can’t believe how much respect I’ve lost for him over this whole long sordid unraveling. What a d*ck.
Why is he filing in Luxembourg when the chateau is in France? Seems like they have been avoiding paying those French taxes. I hate when rich people don’t contribute their fair share!
The continued financial abuse he throws at her, much like Johnny Depp continues to do to Amber Heard, is monstrous, and an obvious ploy to punish and control.
Who knew he was always this person?
Additionally, Pitt has ruined Thelma and Louise for me.
Same! He’s so awful and I can’t not see it
He sure ruined my favourite movie ever for me, Interview with a vampire. First Tom Cruise, now him. That wonderful movie deserved better.
Three words, Brad: post separation abuse. I hope Angelina can be rid of him soon! He lost his bought off judge and needs to make her pay. Sick!
A narcissist’s accusations are really a confession. He’s the vindictive troll who probably has greatly enjoyed holding her financially hostage with all of these joint assets that she can’t get rid of until things are finalized.
Because the shares are held by a Luxembourg company. By the way: the wine is sold here at local supermarkets. It’s around 12-14€ per bottle and overpriced given it’s taste. So people buy it once because of the names attached, are disappointed and then go back to their trusted wines…
Thanks for the info! Also, they only sell rosé??? I’ve always been under the impression that demand for rosé has never been particularly high. Were they trying to go for some kind of niche market?
Yes I only ever saw the rosé on the shelves. We have quite a high demand of rosé during spring/summer so the offer is quite big-any minimarket or gas station has at least 7-14 rosé wines on offer…My guess why they went for rosé is: probably the grapes don’t allow for a decent red and that’s why they went for rosé. As I said, for about 6-8€ it would be ok but not for double the price. It’s not more than a „vin de table“ imo. That’s probably why noone buys it. Plus the bottle is very bulky and does not fit most fridge doors and the design is tacky (think cheap Versace).
To my knowledge and from the comment below they sell more then just Rose wine.
I posted above – the market for rose came on pretty strong in the US in the last few years and Miraval was rated very high. It’s in consistently high demand in the US, but while I had trouble getting it once or twice, it was pretty widely available. I don’t drink now, but we used to go through 1-2 bottles/week. $20/bottle and it’s the house rose at a lot of great restaurants and clubs.
Last year, the masses were raving about Miraval wine while it was winning national and international awards.
It sold out in minutes and the reviews from dozens of wine experts are without exception good. You must have very spoiled tastebuds.
@Ariel: He was abusive towards JA during the divorce. It’s his MO. He is repeating same pattern.
I agree, it was just in a different way. He dumped his wife for a co-star, but spun it into “Jen’s boring, Jen won’t have kids, I really want to be a dad, it’s all I’ve ever wanted and she won’t have my kids, wah, wah, wah.” And a lot of people bought it.
Then he glommed onto Angelina’s philanthropy work so he’d be seen as untouchable, so no one could criticize him. And again people bought it.
It’s pretty telling he hasn’t managed to secure another high profile relationship though, 5 years later most movie stars would have some other famous girlfriend by now. All he could muster was the married instagram girl, and ridiculous rumors of others than never happened.
@lucy2 regarding his “charity” work that did start with his interest in Ms. Jolie, his New Orleans project is a mess, the houses are unlivable and there’s a lawsuit, and he has basically washed his hands of it and pretends he isn’t involved.
People can say what they want about JA but I know she went through hell with him. By Brad’s own admission, he had only stopped doing “everything” drug wise when he and Angelina had kids.
“Mondo Bongo” is the song from Mr & Mrs Smith. The song they dance to when they first meet and it plays throughout the movie like a motif.
Interesting.
Pitt has been verbally abusive via his lawyers to Angie from day 1. Imagine when he’s drunk or high at home! The comment above about him disguising this to sway opinion is correct. He filed this in 2019 o guess when she approached him about selling. He is adamant that she won’t benefit from those 10 shares he transferred to her company. Speaks volumes on his character. He wouldn’t help with child support, gave her a loan with interest to help house his own kids when she made that huge purchase of Demille, and God only knows what else.
I think he bought into his public persona that was created by his PR.
Is this the first time his been dumped?
Jesus, Angelina packing up and leaving has caused this man to unravel.
I’m sure is hard for him to accept his been Abusive to her and harder to accept it from his kids, because his a raving narcissist
Angelina’s first child changed her life immeasurably. And i think when Brad put his hands on that kid- she went from working on a troubled marriage to 100% done. And she never looked back.
Brad Pitt is manipulative and abusive. Let’s just say it like it is
also, the whole miraval brand is about them. (mainly her, i honestly believe she is more famous and likeable, obviously) so when she detaches herself the wine will lose value, he knows this
i despise him but i hope it all works out for the sake of her and her kids
On other websites they are saying the lawsuit is because he wants first dibs in purchase of her shares. Does anyone know if she is purposely trying to exclude him? I wouldn’t blame her but she might be contractually obligated to give him first choice. Just curious.
@anonymous. I advise you to read up thread. Angie filed a document in court this summer wanting to be able to sell her shares. She had been trying to negotiate with him for two years which is true because his filings showed 2019 his complaint. He gave her 10 of his shares and making her have 50 to his 50. He feels she can’t sell 50 because he gave her 10 and she hasn’t contributed as much money as he has. He says she is trying to sabotage the company by not being available with the accounts or hiring a manager. Angie says he doesn’t even ask for her input and is spending excessively and making bad decisions.
A complete clusterfuck and controlling azzhole is he.
I tell people he did the same to Aniston with plan B and she foldied like a dollar store napkin. Angie owns the vineyards and half the house and 25% of the winery. He has turned Miraval into some kind of art shrine for his friends and where they party and house their married escorts. Do you think she wants to go back there. He doesn’t think she should get any profit from her investment. Wtf is he smoking?
#Facts: If that’s the case I really hope he loses in court. She has every right to make a fair profit off her ownership. He can pay up or STFU.
Alexa what is the definition of sociopath?!?
What a POS. I remember Jennifer Aniston making a comment about him after their divorce and how he “had a sensitivity chip missing” or words to that effect. She was not wrong!
His kids won’t forget how he conducted himself during the divorce years — or how he treated their mother.
The scrambling. You didn’t want to buy, but you don’t want her to sell, but she’s been bad for business, but wait don’t go yet? So if her 10% gets thrown out, will he have a problem with her selling her 40%?
Giving her 10% that you can say “just kidding” about was shady to begin with.
The petty part of me wants the kids to get him on child support.
This is a mess. That is why when I marry I am going to have an ironclad pre nup set up down to the finest of details including pet custody. No f* way will I let anyone have control over my finances this way or my life. BP is toxic. His PR machine had been doing a good job with the good guy image he upheld for years but now its all crumbling down. Good for Angie to get away from him and start anew.
Looks like the ATRO was lifted and she can sell. He is gonna try and sue her for the 10% monies she makes on the sale. The same jerk who loaned her 9 million with interest and no child support to house his kids which imho was a bad deal made by Wasser. He was legal obligated to help house them. Glad Angie got rid of her.
Yet you have some females because of their hatred of Angie still supporting this jerk. Aniston in whom he did the same thing to let him do it and embarrass her. The weakest link let’s him use her to this day. Some one on another blog made what I think is the correct analysis of these two women.
“Aniston was moved by feeling, Jolie is rational since he abused her in a way that went beyond all acceptable limits, so she turned off the sentimental switch and was operating in rational mode, she knows her rights and is fighting for them, Aniston has let Pitt violate her rights and still bows her head in reverence when he is in front of him.” Credit to Fas
Some women actually think B&A’s actions are equal, because they don’t like her. I sincerely hope they never end up in a hell on earth situation like Angie’s.
Question for the lawyers: the wording here was careful. They said “about 3 years before the split” but they were only married for about two. Does it make difference then that she already owned the 50% before they were married?