Brad Pitt Faces Accusations of Misusing Winery Funds Amid Ongoing Legal Battle with Angelina Jolie
3 min read
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Brad Pitt, the renowned Hollywood actor, is once again facing legal action. This time, he stands accused of participating in a ‘scheme to steal millions of dollars’ from the vineyard Château Miraval. The legal tussle between the estranged Hollywood couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, over their French vineyard Château Miraval, is becoming increasingly complex.
According to a report by People, Brad has been countersued for allegedly misappropriating funds from Chateau Miraval. The company, Tenute del Mondo, to which Angelina sold her share of the winery, has countersued Brad and his company, Mondo Bongo, for €20 million in damages related to Brad’s control over the winery in France.
In a new twist to the legal feud, Tenute alleges that Brad used the funds and assets from the winery for his personal expenses and diverted them to his other bus iness ventures rather than paying out as dividends and loan repayments. The documents in the countersuit state, “Pitt and Mondo Bongo have turned Château Miraval into their personal piggy bank,” adding that they have entered into a series of transactions using Château Miraval’s funds, depriving Tenute of the profits and loan repayments it is entitled to.
The court documents further allege that Brad Pitt caused millions of the winery’s funds to be spent on projects that benefit him personally, including more than $1 million on renovations for a swimming pool that only he uses.
The countersuit also states that Brad used Château Miraval’s assets to fund side businesses, allowing them to use Château Miraval’s image, premises, and assets for zero or below-market compensation. The company also claims that Brad is preventing Angelina from transferring full control of the winery to the new shareholders. Tenute is demanding a jury trial for all damages, alleging that Brad and his company failed to repay €20 million in loans made by Angelina to support the winery.
Brad’s team or his legal counsel has not responded to the new claims. However, a source aware of the new legal turn, quoted by People, calls the allegations “absurd”. The source stated that Brad is the driving force behind the winery’s success, having used his connections to promote the business.
The feud stems from a lawsuit which Brad Pitt filed in 2022. In the suit, he alleged that Angelina’s 2021 sale of her stake in the winery to Tenute and its parent company, Stoli Group, is against an agreement they had made about not selling without getting approval from the other. Angelina claims that she tried to sell her stake to Brad but he insisted on her signing an extensive NDA, which she refused to do. According to Brad, it was a standard business NDA, adding that the sale “jeopardises the reputation of the business that Brad built”.
Brad and Angelina got married in 2014. Angelina filed for divorce just two years later. They share six children together.
Shivam Kumar
Hi, I'm Shivam Kumar. I'm pursuing Journalism honors from the IP University. I love the skill of writing and looking forward to learn more of it. Also I love traveling and experiencing new things every day....
