Brad Pitt has accused Angelina Jolie of selling her stake in their winery to "intentionally damage" his reputation.
The former couple have been locked in a dispute after the “Maleficent” actress sold off a share in their Chateau Miraval wine business to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli Group, prompting her ex-husband to take legal action after claiming they had a "mutual and binding commitment" to never sell their part of the business without the other's permission.
But according to court documents filed in Los Angeles this week and obtained by DailyMail.com, the 59-year-old actor only discovered Jolie had "secretly" sold her half of the company to a "Russian oligarch" when a press release issued in 2021 announced he had new business partners.
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The documents argued: "As will be demonstrated at trial, Jolie's actions were unlawful, severely and intentionally damaging Pitt and unjustly enriching herself."
In his revised complaint, the “Bullet Train” actor insisted he had first refusal on his ex-wife's share of the winery, which is situated in the South of France, and by selling to a company ultimately owned by Uri Shefler, he argued the brand became linked to Russia, its homophobic laws and the war against Ukraine, potentially tarnishing Chateau Miraval's name.
The filing stated Jolie "initially recognised" she could either allow Pitt to buy her out or they had to sell jointly, and agreed dividing the business up 68 to 38 percent in the “Fight Club” star's favour was fair because of his bigger investment.
But the documents added: "In the summer of 2021, amid a heated child custody dispute with Pitt, Jolie terminated those discussions and secretly purported to sell a 50% stake in the family home and family business to Tenute del Mondo.
"Tenute del Mondo is part of the Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate Stoli Group, which is owned and controlled by billionaire Yuri Shefler.
Shefler, who has been designated as an 'oligarch in the Russian Federation' by the US Treasury Department, had previously sought to buy Miraval, and Pitt had turned him down.
"Pitt learned of Jolie's putative sale to Stoli by way of a press release announcing that Stoli was 'thrilled to have a position alongside Brad Pitt as curators' of Miraval rosé.
"That was by design: Jolie collaborated in secret with Shefler and his associates to pursue and then consummate the purported sale, ensuring that Pitt would be kept in the dark as Stoli and Jolie knowingly violated Pitt's and Mondo Bongo's contractual rights and forced a stranger into Pitt's family home."
In her own counterclaim, the 47-year-old actress accused Pitt of trying to force her into selling to his Mondo Bongo company on "unreasonable terms" and launching a smear campaign that Shefler was "an ally of Vladimir Putin", as well as alleging he hid assets and squandered the company's funds on vanity projects including a swimming pool and a staircase that was rebuilt four times.
Pitt's lawyers hit back: "The only thing that Jolie's Cross-Complaint gets right is that she and Pitt purchased Château Miraval as a loving home for their six children.
"As set forth in Plaintiffs' Second Amended Complaint, Pitt and Jolie had a mutual and binding commitment, reflected by their conduct and statements to one another over time, that they would hold Miraval together and, if the time came, that they would sell their interests separately only with the other's consent."
The “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” hunk's revised complaint goes on to accuse co-defendant Shefler of destabilising the winery's operations and plotting a hostile takeover.
The documents stated: "Shefler's Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate has been the subject of repeat boycotts in connection with Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and homophobic legislative agenda.
"While Shefler may be seeking to launder his reputation by forcing a partnership with one of the world's most well-known and popular actors, affiliation with Shefler and Stoli jeopardizes the reputation of the business.
"All of this is the direct result of Stoli's and Jolie's secretive, unlawful and tortious conduct and that of others acting with them."