Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are set for a two-week trial over the co-owned Château Miraval in France, an estate and vineyard with which they were once associated. The case is the next iteration of a lengthy legal proceeding that has followed their divorce in September 2016.
The original disagreement stems from Jolie selling her interest in the estate in 2021 to Tenute del Mondo, which is an entity that ultimately is under the auspices of the Stoli Group. Pitt asserts that she sold ownership without his consent, arguing she violated a prior contract between them that will state neither would sell ownership without the other's consent in advance.
Pitt's lawyers have rejected Jolie's arguments, saying that she had every right to sell her share and that Pitt was making an attempt to stop her from selling by attempting to enforce an agreement with Jolie that required she agree to nondisclosure agreement. Pitt's lawyers claim that the nondisclosure agreement prohibits Jolie from speaking publicly about past events in their relationship, including the allegations of abuse.
Pitt is now asking the court to reverse Jolie's sale, on the basis that Jolie sold the business deal behind Pitt's back and hurt Pitt's control of the estate. Jolie's argument is that the deal was purely business and that she wanted to divest her involvement in the winery, and her involvement with Pitt.
The trial is anticipated to run for approximately two weeks and will take place in France , the country in which Château Miraval is located. Legal teams on both sides have started to prepare papers and arguments that pertain to ownership , contractual obligations and communication between the two parties .
The estate that the couple bought in 2011 after renting it for 3 years in 2008, has developed into a lucrative wine business and means a lot to both of them personally, as this is the same property in which they were wed when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married in 2014. The estate has a sprawling vineyard and luxurious amenities making it a an excellent asset.
A key question in the trial is whether Jolie's decision to sell was permissible under French law, and whether the previous package agreement exists between her and Pitt. The court will also have to consider whether any nondisclosure agreement Pitt is proposing is simply a means to keep Jolie quiet about personal matters.
The decision of the trial is likely to have implications much larger than just a high-profile divorce where a couple shared business interests in something like but not exclusive to the vineyard under consideration and is now being scrutinized in the context of international law. Although this court's decision will center on the sale of the vineyard, the trial will discuss personal matters and the resultant financial conflicts that have continued to develop in the years since their separation nearly a decade ago.
No formal start date for the trial has been set, but both legal teams have expected an arduous legal process in connection with their respective bids for an equitable resolution. The trial decision could impact the future of the Château Miraval brand as well as the ownership of that brand after the dust settles.
Image Source: cinescapeboxoffice.com
