Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been fighting in court for years. While the two are no longer legally married, their divorce was never finalized as issues surrounding the custody of their children were a major point of friction for years. Now the focus is mainly on the ownership of a French winery, Miraval, of which Pitt and Jolie each owned half. He's worth millions, and yet it seems like what happens to him can basically come down to a dollar.
Pitt and Jolie were equal owners of the winery at the time of their split, but what was recently reported is that when they initially purchased the chateau and winery together, Brad Pitt paid 60%, while Jolie owned 40%. Apparently, when the two married, Pitt transferred 10% of the property to his new wife, making them equal partners. But according to the Wall Street Journal (via page six) Pitt technically did not give her 10% ownership, but instead sold it to her for a single euro, a euro that Pitt now claims Jolie never paid, thus invalidating the transfer.
The euro, approximately $1.08 at current exchange rates, was obviously intended to be a symbolic number. There was almost certainly no expectation that Jolie would actually pay the money, and yet the lack of payment is now being used as a tactic to apparently try to invalidate the transfer of the 10% ownership. Pitt has sued Jolie to try to invalidate the sale of his half of Miraval Winery to the Stoli Group. For now, the 10% stake in question is being held in escrow while the legal war continues.
Brad Pitt has argued that he and Jolie reached an agreement that if either party wanted to sell their stake, the other had to give consent. He reportedly says he never gave his consent for Jolie to sell her share and therefore it should be invalidated. Jolie reportedly claims that no such agreement existed.
Even if Pitt is not able to overturn the entire sale, if he can recover the 10% stake he is fighting for, it would give him a majority stake in the winery, which, depending on exactly what his plans are for the future of the winery. are, could be sufficient for his needs. However, if Stoli Group becomes a minority owner, that could affect its ownership stake, which could change everything.
Ultimately, a decision regarding Miraval may not be necessary to finalize the divorce. The ongoing lawsuit is a separate case and the couple has apparently filed final financial statements with the court, indicating that the divorce battle may be coming to an end. If they can reach an agreement on everything else, the divorce could finally be complete, even if the wine cellar issue is still being dealt with in a separate case.
