It's been six years since Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, and yet, the split is far from over. After three years of negotiations, Jolie and Pitt were legally declared single in 2019, but the divorce has yet to be finalized as they continue to hammer out custody agreements for their minor children, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. (They also share sons Maddox and Pax, who are legally adults.)
Meanwhile, recently released documents detailing the 2016 plane incident that precipitated their divorce have brought even more scrutiny as the former couple battles it out in court over their French winery and former home, Château Miraval. In the most recent court filings, Nouvel, a company founded by Jolie, is suing Pitt for $250 million, claiming that he has attempted to use Jolie's stake in the company to get her to sign "a hush-clause." Here, what you need to know about the new lawsuit and how it relates to their other legal battles.
Pitt and Jolie officially bought Château Miraval in France in 2012, though they had leased it for years prior. The property reportedly included olive groves, a private lake, and a chapel, where Jolie and Pitt were married in 2014. It also contained a vineyard, leading to the launch of Miraval Wines in 2013, a company co-owned by Pitt and Jolie and shared 60-40. After Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, the company became one of the major sticking points in the division of assets and was eventually split evenly between the two, with half owned by Pitt's company, Mondo Bongo, and the other half owned by Nouvel.
In October of 2021, Jolie sold her stake in Miraval Wines to Tenute del Mondo, part of Stoli Group. Months later, in February, Pitt filed a lawsuit disputing the sale. In his lawsuit, Pitt claimed that he and his company had a right of refusal to any potential sale and that Jolie violated that right by selling to Tenute del Mondo without his approval. In a new filing submitted in June, he claimed that his ex had knowingly conspired with a rival company that was aiming for a hostile takeover of Miraval wines. "Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt's contractual rights," read a June filing per People. The lawsuit also claimed that Pitt put more work and financial stake in the winery, arguing that Jolie contributed "nothing to Miraval's success."
"Page Six" reported that Nouvel filed a new lawsuit in September, claiming that Pitt attempted to cut her out of the winery "in retaliation for the divorce and custody proceedings" and to "ensure . Jolie would never see a dime." The lawsuit alleges that Pitt "hatched and executed a plan to secretly move assets from Château Miraval . to companies owned by him and his friends, thereby devaluing Jolie's interest" and that he "squandered tens of millions of Château Miraval's money on vanity projects," like a million-dollar swimming pool and walls using stone masons from Croatia. The suit also includes allegations against Château Miraval directors Gary Bradbury, Roland Venturini, and Warren Grant, as well as Pitt's business partners, Marc Perrin, Families Perrin, and Miraval Provence, parties that Novel accused of helping Pitt shut her out from Miraval Wine.
The lawsuit also pushes back on many claims made in Pitt's own legal fillings. In his original lawsuit, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, Pitt claimed that he and his ex had been in negotiations for a buyout in 2021 but that Jolie cut off talks with Pitt's team months before her sale to Tenute del Mondo. Now, Jolie's company is claiming that those discussions actually ended because Pitt "made an eleventh-hour demand for onerous and irrelevant conditions, including a provision designed to prohibit Jolie from publicly speaking about the events that had led to the breakdown of their marriage." The suit continues, claiming, "Pitt knew that much of Jolie's wealth and liquidity were tied up in [her stake in the winery] and used that fact to try to force Jolie to agree to his unreasonable terms." The filing claims that Jolie countered, agreeing to the terms of the deal only if the "hush-clause" was removed, but Pitt's team never responded.
Earlier this summer, reports confirmed that Jolie had sued the FBI under the name Jane Doe, asking for access to documents relating to the organization's investigation into allegations that Pitt had assaulted her and their son, Maddox, then 15, during an altercation on a private jet in 2016. At the time, the FBI declined to press any charges, though Jolie reportedly brought up the allegations while the two were determining custody of their children.
Shortly after Jolie's suit against the FBI was reported, Rolling Stone obtained records from the FBI investigation, revealing new details previously unknown to the public. In the report, Jolie alleged that Pitt, who was allegedly drunk, yelled at her and "grabbed her by the head" and "pushed her into the bathroom wall." She claimed that he scared the children, who asked if she was okay. "No, she's not okay. She's ruining this family. She's crazy," Pitt allegedly responded. Jolie reportedly told law enforcement that she felt "scared" and "like a hostage." Though he has not directly responded to these reports, Pitt denied any abuse allegations and has continued to seek joint custody of their children.