Hollywood actor Brad Pitt is being sued again for allegedly participating in a ‘scheme to steal millions of dollars’ from vineyard Château Miraval; and use it as his ‘personal piggy bank’.
The ongoing legal battle between Hollywood’s estranged couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie regarding their French vineyard Château Miraval has intensified. According to a report from People, Pitt has been countersued for allegedly misappropriating funds from Château Miraval.
The legal feud takes a new turn as Tenute del Mondo, the company to which Angelina sold her share of the winery, countersues Brad and his company Mondo Bongo for €20 million in damages related to Brad’s management of the French winery.
According to People, Tenute alleges that Brad diverted funds and assets from Château Miraval for personal expenses and other business ventures instead of distributing them as dividends and loan repayments.
Documents in the countersuit claim, “Pitt and Mondo Bongo have turned Château Miraval into their personal piggy bank,” stating that they engaged in transactions depriving Tenute of entitled profits and loan repayments.
A trial by jury?
The court documents alleged that Brad “caused millions of its funds to be spent on projects that benefit him personally, including more than $1 million on renovations for a swimming pool that only he uses”.
The countersuit alleges that Brad utilized Château Miraval’s assets to finance other ventures, enabling them to leverage the winery’s image, facilities, and assets without appropriate compensation.
Furthermore, the company contends that Brad is obstructing Angelina from relinquishing full control of the winery to the new shareholders. Tenute seeks a jury trial for damages, asserting that Brad and his company failed to repay €20 million in loans provided by Angelina to sustain the winery.
While Brad’s legal team has yet to respond to these allegations, a source familiar with the situation, as reported by People, dismisses the claims as “absurd.” The source maintains that Brad’s strategic networking has been instrumental in the winery’s success.
Legal battle got more!
The dispute originated from a lawsuit filed by Brad in 2022, alleging that Angelina’s 2021 sale of her winery stake to Tenute and its parent company, Stoli Group, violates a prior agreement. This agreement stipulated that neither party could sell without the other’s approval.
Angelina contends that she attempted to sell her stake to Brad, but he insisted she sign a comprehensive NDA, which she declined. Brad asserts that the NDA was standard business practice and expresses concern that the sale “jeopardizes the reputation of the business he built.”
Brad and Angelina tied the knot in 2014, only to file for divorce just two years later. They are parents to six children.
Share your news, articles, deals, columns, or press releases with us! Click the link to submit and join our platform today.
