Angelina Jolie's company files lawsuit against Brad Pitt, accusing him of taking the winery as a retaliatory measure.

The divorced warring couple are both taking legal action over behaviour linked to the Chateau Miraval wine business that they were co-owners of until October last year

Brad Pitt is being sued for $250million (£218m) by his ex-wife Angelina Jolie’s former company, who claim he stole the couple’s wine business from her.

The legal action has come following Pitt’s decision to sue Jolie after claiming she had unlawfully sold her shares in Chateau Miraval – the wine brand and French castle that they bought in 2008 and used as their wedding venue six years later.

Jolie sold her stake, which was held by her then firm Nouvel, to beverage behemoths Stoli in October of last year.

Nouvel claim that Pitt tried to “secretly move assets” from Chateau Miraval to his friends and other companies and spent “millions on vanity projects” such as a swimming pool and a recording studio.

They also allege that he handed over half the company’s trademarks to a friend for free.

Brad is arguing that Angelina unlawfully sold her shares in Chateau Miraval (Image: AbacaPress/SplashNews.com)

Nouvel are arguing that Pitt’s actions were targeted at ensuring that Jolie would “never see a dime” of Chateau Miraval’s “tens of millions of dollars in profits”.

The lawsuit says: “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.

“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.”

Chateau Miraval in the South of France is set in 1,300 acres of grounds and vineyards

Nouvel also state that Jolie wanted to sell her stake in Chateau Miraval to him when she filed for divorce in 2016, but Pitt allegedly tried to add gag clauses about their fights in the contract.

The lawsuit goes on to claim that Pitt then refused to work with the company’s new co-owner – Stoli – and “lied” about the vodka brand’s head Yuri Shefler being “an ally of Vladimir Putin”.

Chateau Miraval in the South of France is set in 1,300 acres of grounds and vineyards and boasts 35 rooms.

Angelina Jolie’s former company Nouvel claim that her ex-husband Brad Pitt tried to “secretly move assets” from Chateau Miraval to his friends and other companies (Image: Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Pitt and Jolie paid $25m (£22m) for the castle, with the former’s business Mondo Bongo originally owning 60% of the shares in it and Nouvel 40%.

Nouvel now claim that Pitt “voluntarily” transferred 10% of his shares to Jolie in 2013 – but a lawsuit launched by him in Luxembourg is arguing that transfer was invalid.

Pitt’s lawsuit adds: “Jolie has sought to force Pitt into partnership with a stranger, and worse yet, a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions.

Source:https://www.dailystar.co.uk