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It’s no secret that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been engaged in multiple legal disputes over the past few years. The couple – who split in 2016 – found themselves entangled in divorce proceedings that raged on for several years. And, for nearly two years now, they’ve been engaged in another court battle since Pitt filed suit against Jolie in February 2022 over the $500 million winery they once owned together. Now, it would seem that the Troy star has seen a legal victory in the back-and-forth as of late. In the midst of that, newly surfaced information would suggest that this case apparently boils down to a wedding gift Pitt gave Jolie years ago.
At the center of this case is the Château Miraval in France – an estate that includes a winery and was purchased by the couple in 2008, before they tied the knot in 2014. Brad Pitt filed suit over Angelina Jolie selling her shares of the winery to a company owned by Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler. Pitt and his legal team have contended that he and his ex previously agreed that such a move would need to be OK’d by him, making the deal null and void. Jolie has since countersued him and argued that she sold off her shares in order to gain “financial independence” from her former spouse.
According to Page Six, the Seven Years in Tibet alum originally owned 60 percent of the estate when it was purchased, while his former wife owned 40. However, he apparently gifted her an extra 10 percent when they married, making them equal partners. The leading man has more recently been arguing that the gift he gave is unenforceable, meaning he feels he should get it back and have 60 percent share. A court in Luxembourg has now ruled in his favor, pending a final ruling, and he has the 10 percent back again. A source for the news outlet shared claims about how the 50/50 agreement was initiated and what it apparently represented at the time the two were together:
He owned 60 [percent] and she owned 40 [percent]. When they got married, it was a conversation where everything was all roses [at the time]. The agreement was for her to get 10 percent from him, a 50/50 agreement that they reached for one euro. It was symbolic of their partnership.
It’s interesting to think that this matter comes down to a wedding gift, in many respects. This serves a step forward for Brad Pitt as he seeks to emerge victorious in this legal battle. Again, however, it should be stressed that this could change. The source also said that the decision isn’t final at this point and also explained how long Pitt might keep his recently increased ownership stake:
It’s like the equivalent of escrow… it is not a final decision. For now, he maintains a 60/40 [split] … He maintains control of this until probably another year, or more.
A number of details have surfaced since Brad Pitt filed suit against Angelina Jolie over the winery. After he filed suit against Angelina Jolie, Pitt was sued by her company, Nouvel, for $250 million, with the suit alleging that he tried to “seize control” of the winery and ensure that “Jolie would never see a dime” of the profits. Aside from that, an uncovered 2021 email that Jolie sent to Pitt apparently shed more light on why she wanted to let go of her share. She reportedly found it to be a “painful decision,” as she hoped the property would serve a number of purposes for her family and others. However, she did “not feel I can be involved, publicly or privately, in a business based on alcohol, when alcoholic behavior harmed our family so deeply.”
At this point, it’s hard to say how this situation might ultimately be resolved. It also remains to be seen just how Angelina Jolie and her legal team might respond after her ex-husband’s recent legal victory.