The ongoing legal battle between Hollywood A-listers Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has taken another dramatic twist. The dispute, centered around their shared French winery, Château Miraval, has been the subject of much media attention, with both parties having a 50% interest in the business. The latest development involves an email allegedly linking Jolie to a Russian billionaire, Yuri Shefler, suggesting a possible collusion to exclude Pitt from a sale.
Angelina Jolie, who had long since sold her interest in Château Miraval, is now under scrutiny for the manner in which the sale of her share took place. Brad Pitt has claimed that he was meant to have the first right of refusal to buy her out. However, this deal reportedly collapsed in the wake of their heated child custody battle. Pitt has accused Jolie of reneging on their agreement, in which he was to pay her $54.4 million over a span of six years. This amount was minus the repayment of a $7 million loan that Pitt had extended to Jolie. Amidst the escalating tensions of their child custody case, Jolie allegedly changed her stance and sold her share to Shefler. Pitt is now asserting that Jolie and Shefler had conspired from the beginning to exclude him from the sale.
The crux of the recent revelations is an email that Pitt's legal team believes to be a "smoking gun", indicating that Jolie and Shefler might have intentionally kept Pitt out of the negotiations. This move was allegedly to ensure the deal went through without any hindrances. The email in question, uncovered by Pitt's lawyers after demanding additional documents from Shefler, appears to confirm suspicions of a plot between Jolie and the Russian businessman.
The email, sent by a third party on behalf of Shefler, reads, "Dear Angelina, With this letter I would like to thank you for the deal we have done. I am happy with the deal despite the current disagreements with Mr. Pitt in regards to his attempts to sabotage and avoid signing shareholders' agreements. I am, however, hopeful that we will eventually become trustworthy partners and will be enjoying mutual business. Should you at any point of time require any assistance from me, please do reach out at [redacted phone number]."
Brad Pitt and his legal team are now pushing to have the sale of Château Miraval nullified, which would make the 59-year-old actor the sole owner of the property. While the court has yet to make a ruling on this latest development, it's evident that neither party is willing to back down.
The Château Miraval dispute is just one of the many legal battles the former couple has been embroiled in since their split. Their high-profile divorce and subsequent child custody disputes have been the subject of extensive media coverage, with each development making headlines. As the legal proceedings continue, fans and observers worldwide are keenly watching to see how this latest chapter in the Jolie-Pitt saga unfolds.
