Brad Pitt Fights Embezzlement Allegations In Fight With Ex Angelina Jolie (Excl)
Brad Pitt asked a judge to dismiss all claims accusing him of embezzlement as part of his bitter lawsuit over a French winery, Chateau Miraval, with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, We weekly can only report.
On Monday, December 22, Pitt, 62, filed court papers addressing claims that he and his company improperly used Miraval’s money for vanity projects, including $8 million spent on a house on the estate and the construction of a swimming pool.
Pitt told the court that all costs incurred by Miraval had been made public and never kept secret.
He also addressed a message he sent his employees, as part of a conversation about Miraval building a music studio, which said: “I believe we are no longer [Jolie] reports while trying to buy her shares. He said his message is not evidence of a crime or embezzlement.
Pitt noted: “The message is expressed as a personal view or observation, not as an instruction, and does not reflect an intent to promote or facilitate any unlawful conduct.” He said there was no suggestion he was obliged to share the report in question with Jolie, 50.
His lawyer continued: “The message also does not indicate any attempt or intention [Pitt] to hide stolen property from Jolie. Such a claim is nonsensical, given the public nature of the music studio and its association with it [Miraval].”
Pitt argued that the alleged embezzlement claims filed against him should be heard in France, not California, since the alleged conduct occurred in France. The F1 actor is demanding that all claims against him be dismissed out of court.
If Us Previously reported, Pitt and Jolie bought Miraval in 2008. After their split, Jolie said she wanted out of the company. They tried to reach a deal, with Pitt offering $55 million, but the talks failed.
Jolie eventually sold her shares to an alcohol company called Stoli. Pitt sued his ex to void the deal, claiming she needed his approval, which she denied.
Stoli joined the lawsuit and filed a countersuit against Pitt in 2024. The company alleged that instead of paying out Miraval profits to them, Pitt and his team diverted the money to fund side businesses “and used them to fund a series of wasteful vanity projects from which he personally benefited.”
Brad Pitt
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty ImagesMirval’s profits grew to about $15 million by 2022, the lawsuit said.
Stoli claimed that “not a cent of the millions of euros” Miraval has earned over the years has ever been used to repay its loans. “Instead, Pitt uses the company’s funds as his own personal pocket money to satisfy his wasteful expenses and benefit his business ventures.” The company said Jolie had loaned Miraval $20 million over the years to finance improvements.
“Pitt caused Chateau Miraval to spend tens of millions of dollars on vanity projects that have little or no business justification,” Stoli’s attorney argued. “After the divorce filing, only Pitt has stayed at the Chateau Miraval mansion and enjoyed the benefits of a personal lease on the property – Jolie never returned there.”
Stoli said that after Pitt and Jolie split, Pitt took control of Miraval.
Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s legal battle over their French vineyard Château Miraval has become even more complicated. Us Weekly can confirm that Tenute del Mondo, the company where Jolie, 48, tried to sell her shares in the winery to Pitt, 60, and his company Mondo Bongo sued on Monday. […]
The lawsuit added: “Chateau Miraval has never distributed the company’s profits to its shareholders. Never.”
Stoli said Jolie noticed that Miraval was “spending large sums of money on projects that appeared to have no legitimate business purpose.”
“She began to insist on receiving information about Chateau Miraval’s finances and attempted to exert greater control over its operations,” the opposing party alleged. “Pitt repeatedly resisted her requests and over time excluded her from the company and deprived her of information about Chateau Miraval’s finances.”
The legal battle between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie over French winery Château Miraval continues and is getting even messier. Pitt, 59, was accused of “looting” and “stripping” the assets of Château Miraval in an attempt to take over the property, according to court documents obtained by CNN on Monday, July 10. Filed a new complaint […]
Stoli alleged that Pitt approved expenses and budgets without Jolie’s approval. To support this claim, the company pointed to the alleged message Pitt sent in June 2021, which stated, “I think we should stop sending AJ reports while she is trying to buy her stock.”
A source says Us“It is not surprising that, after another favorable decision for Brad, these parties would proceed with another frivolous application. Unfortunately, this is to be expected from the type of people they want to do business with.”
If Us Previously reported, Pitt recently scored a victory when the court ordered Jolie to produce emails that she had initially denied. (A second countersuit was filed against Pitt for $100 million. That case was brought by Nouvel, the company that owned Jolie stock and was sold to Stoli. Pitt denied all allegations of wrongdoing. The second countersuit is still pending.)
Pitt and Jolie started dating in 2004 and married in 2014. The exes split in 2016 after an incident on board a private plane. The actors share six children: Maddox, 24, Pax, 22, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 17.
In December 2024, Jolie and Pitt settled their divorce after eight years of back-and-forth. Jolie received no spousal support in the agreement.
