Brad Pitt is seeking $35 million (£26.7 million) in damages from his ex-wife Angelina Jolie as part of an ongoing legal wrangling over a French winery they owned.
The place in question is one Chateau Miraval, which Pitt and Jolie bought in 2011 and used as the location for their 2014 wedding. However, after they split up, she sold her half of the place to the Stoli Group in 2021.
This sale has led to an ongoing legal battle with Pitt claiming she sold her half of the winery to someone else without his consent, which he alleged broke a previous agreement between them.
Meanwhile, Jolie has argued she didn't need him to agree to her selling her part in the business.
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People reports that Pitt is suing for $35 million in damages and one of the emails his team submitted as evidence came from Jolie's legal team in October 2023, which allegedly said he was 'seeking ongoing damages for alleged harm to Miraval’s ongoing operations'.
Another email claimed to be from Jolie's team, this one from November 2023, says: "The burdensome nature of any production is a matter of Mr. Pitt’s own creation - he is suing Ms. Jolie for $35 million in damages.
"As a result, he has to incur the expense of producing the documents that will show (or not show) those damages."
On 29 October, he filed an attempt to make Jolie's legal team turn over emails they sent and received from the Maleficent star as he thinks they could help his case, while she has argued he has no right to see them as they contain legal discussions and are protected by attorney-client privilege.
Pitt alleges that he offered Jolie $55 million (£42 million) for her half of the chateau but she backed out of a deal and sold it to the Stoli Group instead, which then attempted a hostile takeover of the business.
According to US Magazine, Jolie claims she backed out of a deal with her ex-husband because he demanded she sign a non-disclosure agreement, which would have stopped her from publicly discussing either the sale or her personal life with Pitt.
Jolie's lawyers said this NDA was 'designed to force her silence about his abuse and cover-up', referring to an alleged incident in 2016 in which she claims he was verbally and physically abusive to his family on a plane.
Pitt was not charged after an investigation into this matter and Jolie did not press charges at the time.
When Pitt filed his lawsuit in 2022 over his claims that Jolie sold her stake without his consent, she countersued and accused him of 'waging a vindictive war against' her.
Legal representatives for Angelina Jolie told People: "Mr. Pitt’s reply brief does not address our arguments and continues to rely on conjecture and speculation - all for the purpose of invading her privileged communications with her lawyers.
"This once again confirms that this lawsuit is the manifestation of Mr. Pitt’s years-long effort to harass and control Angelina. We look forward to the upcoming hearing."
The next hearing is scheduled for 17 December.
The LADbible Group has contacted Angelina Jolie's legal representatives for further comment.
Topics: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, Money, US News, Business
Joe Harker