When Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt first went public with their relationship, it caused a sensation. Years after their divorce, the Hollywood A-lister exes continue to create a stir.
The pair met on the set of the 2003 film Mr and Mrs Smith, where they portrayed a married couple. However, at the time, Pitt was wed to US megastar Jennifer Aniston.
Aniston filed for divorce in March 2005 and Pitt and Jolie were snapped on holiday together in Kenya a month later.
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They were known by the moniker Brangelina and their brood soon expanded. Yet their Hollywood romance ended in 2016 when Jolie filed for divorce.
In the seven years since that filing the couple have been engaged in a protracted legal battle over their six children and their assets.
One of the assets at the centre of the warring exes is French winery, Château Miraval. The latest drama is claims Jolie refused to sell her stake to Pitt out of “bitterness”.
Here’s what we know about the latest Pitt-Jolie drama.
Who is suing who and why?
Both Pitt and Jolie have each fired legal missives at the other.
The legal battle has been in existence since the Oscar-winning actress first filed for divorce in September 2016, citing irreconcilable differences.
In 2020, the couple were deemed legally single and lawyers were still being used as a the separation of the former couple’s assets was decided and a custody battle brewed.
A year later, in July 2021, a US judge granted Pitt and Jolie joint custody of their minor children. However, Pitt’s access was reduced just months later after the judge was disqualified after reportedly failing to disclose a conflict of interest involving Pitt.
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Pitt reportedly sued the Salt star again in 2022, this time over the sale of her shares of the French vineyard.
There are also allegations that Pitt tried to leverage the business to silence Jolie about the circumstances surrounding their divorce.
Nouvel, a company founded by the Maleficent actress, reportedly filed a $US250 million (approx. 369.3 million) lawsuit on in September 2022 against the Bullet Train star.
The claim alleged Pitt “masterminded a so-far-successful plan to seize control of” Château Miraval.
The company also accused Pitt of “waging a vindictive war” against Jolie after she filed for divorce in 2016.
Why did Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt split?
Jolie claimed her decision to file for a divorce was made “for the health of the family”. As part of her petition she sought sole custody of her six children.
In response to her filing, Pitt responded and asked for joint custody of their children.
“I separated for the well-being of my family. It was the right decision,” Jolie told Vogue India in June 2020.
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“I continue to focus on their healing. Some have taken advantage of my silence, and the children see lies about themselves in the media, but I remind them that they know their own truth and their own minds.
“In fact, they are six very brave, very strong young people.”
What did Brad Pitt accuse Angelina Jolie of?
Pitt brought in lawyers to file a claim against Jolie over her decision to sell her shares of Château Miraval.
The French estate, which includes a vast villa in the south-eastern village of Correns, France, is where the former couple tied the knot in 2014.
The property also served as a family retreat for the former couple and their six children.
This month Pitt filed court documents claiming Jolie “secretly” jettisoned her share of the estate in retaliation over the couple’s bitter custody battle.
More specifically, the Fight Club star seemingly took issue with Jolie not selling him the stake or seeking his permission ahead of the sale.
He alleges he and Jolie agreed to never sell their share in the A$45 million (US$30 million) property without the other’s approval, Page Six reported, citing legal documents.
However, an unnamed source close to Jolie told the media outlet that her decision was based on Pitt’s attempt to silence her about abuse claims.
It is claimed Pitt asked Jolie to sign a non-disclosure agreement or NDA.
However, the media outlet quoted a source close to Pitt who labelled such a suggestion as “misleading”. They claimed Pitt only asked Jolie to sign a standard business NDA relating solely to the winery purchase.
“It wasn’t about the family matters,” Page Six quoted the unnamed source.
“It’s standard to have a NDA that stops someone from selling something, then disparaging it and diminishing its value.”
What abuse claims did Brad Pitt face?
Jolie alleged Pitt was physically abusive towards her and two of their six children on a flight in 2016.
The new filing, which was first reported by the New York Times, includes claims of an extended verbal and physical outburst from Pitt in September 2016, as Jolie, Pitt and their six children flew from France to California.
Jolie’s team alleged ”Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face” and “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her”, according to legal papers seen by the outlet.
During the fight, at one point, the court documents claim Pitt “poured beer on Jolie” and at another point in the fight “he poured beer and red wine on the children”.
Days after the trip, Jolie filed for divorce.
The flight was investigated by federal authorities as they have jurisdiction over flights, and the FBI declined to bring criminal charges against Pitt.
Who owns Miraval Winery now?
Pitt and the Perrin family own the winery with new shareholders Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of the Stoli Group.
Jolie sold her 50 per cent stake in the winery to Mondo for an undisclosed sum in October 2021.
The former Hollywood couple bought the estate in 2012 and partnered with the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel.
Together they released their first wines a year later in 2013. The business is estimated to be worth A$245 million (US$162 million) today.
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