Brad Pitt Claims Ex-Wife Angelina Jolie ‘Sought To Inflict Harm’ on Him By Selling Her Share of Their Winery to a Russian Oligarch

The divorce between Hollywood A-listers Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has been playing out in the public eye for over two years now and shows no signs of coming to a resolution any time soon.

One of the most contentious issues between the exes is what to do with their shared winery, Château Miraval, located in Provence, France. Jolie allegedly secretly sold her share of the property to Stoli Group owner Yuri Shefler, an oligarch with close ties to the Russian government.

The Daily Mail reported that Shefler, a Russian billionaire, and Stoli Group have been the object of recent boycotts throughout the world regardless of Shefler’s attempts to distance himself from the Putin regime. The Stoli brand is now a massive international liability due to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Pitt alleges in the case.

The U.S. Department of Treasury designated Shefler an “oligarch in the Russian Federation” in a report to Congress, according to the documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 3.

An aerial view taken on May 31, 2008, in Le Val, southeastern France, shows the Chateau Miraval, a vineyard estate previously owned by U.S. businessman Tom Bove before U.S. actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie relocated to the chateau. (MICHEL GANGNE/AFP via Getty Images)

Jolie’s decision to sell has been met with fierce opposition from Pitt, who argues that Jolie is violating the terms of their divorce agreement. The situation has become even more complicated by the involvement of Shefler, who has come under fire from Pitt’s legal team.

Pitt claims that Jolie “sought to inflict harm on” him by selling her interests in the wine company, according to People Magazine. Pitt says they had agreed to never sell their respective interests in the family business without the other’s consent. Despite that agreement, Jolie relinquished her shares in the winery to a “stranger,” Pitt alleges.

The Daily Mail also reported that Pitt’s team has accused Shefler of launching a hostile takeover of Miraval and trying to get ahold of “confidential and proprietary information for the benefit of his competing enterprise.” The documents allege that Shefler has “cutthroat business tactics and dubious professional associations,” which in turn “jeopardizes the reputation of the brand.” Jolie, who filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016, was previously cleared to sell her share of the estate in September.

While it is unclear what the future holds for Château Miraval, one thing is for sure: The divorce between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has been anything but amicable. It will be interesting to see how things play out in the coming months.

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