Brad Pitt has been handed the latest victory in the battle to control the French vineyard he owned with ex-wife Angelina Jolie in the latest twist in the so-called ‘War of the Rosés’.
The Chateau Miraval estate, which produces an award-winning sparkling rosé, is at the center of a long-running legal battle between the couple.
Jolie sought to overturn a preliminary ruling in LA Superior Court that allowed her ex-husband’s claims that she sold her stake in their stunning vineyard to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler without his consent in 2021.
But in another victory for the Fight Club star, the court rejected allegations that his case was ‘frivolous, malicious and part of a problematic pattern’.
That now means Pitt’s legal team has the green light to take the legal battle to court, with the A-lister suing Jolie for breaching an agreement that they would give each other first refusal.
Brad Pitt has been handed the latest victory in the battle to control the French vineyard he owned with ex-wife Angelina Jolie in the latest twist in the so-called ‘War of the Rosés’
The Chateau Miraval estate, which produces an award-winning sparkling rosé, is at the center of a long-running legal battle between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Court minutes seen by DailyMail.com show the Hollywood star was given the go-ahead on March 8 to amend a dismissed claim alleging breach of an ‘implied covenant’ of fair dealing and good faith.
Judge Lia Martin rejected an attempt by Jolie’s lawyers to throw out the lawsuit for breach of implied contract and quasi-contract, the latest blow to Jolie and Shefler.
Last month, the Mail revealed that Stoli had been stripped of some shares by a Luxembourg court, making Pitt the majority shareholder.
The battle over Chateau Miraval’s future has so far been fought in courtrooms in France, Luxembourg and Los Angeles.
Pitt was shocked when his ex-wife sold her half of their stunning Chateau Miraval estate without his agreement to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler in 2021.
After their acrimonious separation in 2016, Jolie sold her stake in the company to Yuri Shefler’s Stoli Group. Pitt claimed she had broken an agreement that they would give each other first refusal.
Financial papers seen by DailyMail.com in February revealed that the ultimate owner of the shares is a shadowy trust on the island of Jersey controlled by a company in which Shefler is not a shareholder.
The confusing business arrangements make it impossible to know who is pulling the strings – but friends of Hollywood star Pitt say he is determined to get to the bottom of it.
The 1,300-acre Chateau Miraval estate in 2008 before the celebrity couple bought it as 60-40 partners, with Pitt as the majority shareholder
Pitt says he was blown away when Jolie sold her share of Chateau Miraval, a 35-room estate and famed vineyard in the south of France that Pitt and Jolie bought for $60 million in 2011. The 1,000-acre estate — now valued at $164 million – that’s where the couple tied the knot in 2014
Jolie sought to overturn a preliminary ruling in LA Superior Court that allowed her ex-husband’s claims that she sold her stake in their stunning vineyard to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler without his consent in 2021
But in another win for the Fight Club star, the court rejected allegations that his case was ‘frivolous, malicious and part of a problematic pattern’
A source close to the actor said: ‘Brad wants Jersey to start giving answers. He should have the right to know who has bought into his business.
‘He has put his heart and soul into Chateau Miraval and feels the rug has been pulled out from under him. He doesn’t know for sure who he’s really doing business with.’
In a previous filing, Pitt claimed Shefler tried to ‘bully’ and ‘threaten’ him with smears, claiming the Russian tried to get him to submit by issuing a press release announcing their ‘partnership’ the next day , that Jolie’s deal went through.
Shefler then demanded the pair meet for talks, after ‘personally insisting’ the publication ’emphasize’ they were partners with Pitt – despite the A-Lister only learning of the deal through the announcement.
The filings are part of the Oscar winners’ bid to undo Angelina Jolie’s $64 million sale of her stake in the Chateau Miraval estate to Shefler.
He says the 2021 deal violated Jolie’s earlier promise to give him first refusal if she ever sold up.
Shefler is accused of contacting Jolie’s divorce lawyers following reports of a “heated custody dispute” in 2021.
Pitt’s team also say representatives of Stoli – the international drinks conglomerate owned by Shefler – made an ‘unsolicited’ bid for Miravel following news of the couples’ split.
The land surrounding the château in the south of France is known for producing high quality wine
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt produced their own organic wine from the vineyard
Pitt was shocked when his ex-wife sold her half of their stunning Chateau Miraval estate without his agreement to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler in 2021
Shefler insists the US courts have no jurisdiction to hear a full trial on the case.
But momentum in the legal battle appears to be with Pitt after a Luxembourg court stripped Shefler of 10 percent of his shares, effectively making Pitt the majority shareholder again.
His legal team secured victory by arguing that the shares were given in 2013 with the understanding that Jolie would not sell them on.
Judge Carole Kerschen ruled that it was necessary to end the ‘blockade of the decision’ and save the business. A ‘merits hearing’ in about two years is likely to determine whether Pitt regains full control of the shares, which were transferred to Jolie’s company for one euro.
A source close to the actor previously said the ruling leaves Shefler with ‘virtually no influence’ in the multi-million pound business in Provence.
Pitt and Jolie purchased the 1,300-acre Miraval property in 2008 as 60-40 partners, with Pitt as the majority shareholder.
Five years later, he gave an extra 10 percent to Jolie’s company Nouvel for one euro, making them even.
But after their acrimonious split in 2016, the estate was at the center of a $350 million divorce battle.
In 2021, Jolie sold Nouvel to a group controlled by Shefler. Pitt’s lawyers argued that she ‘knew and intended that Shefler and his subsidiaries would attempt to control the business’.