Most of Brad Pitt’s claims against Angelina Jolie in winery case dismissed

LOS ANGELES – A judge has ruled the company founded by Angelina Jolie can move forward with most of its causes of action in its $250 million countersuit against Brad Pitt, which alleges that he was behind an effort to take control of Chateau Miraval, the 1,300-acre country estate the former couple bought in 2008 and where they married in 2014.

Nouvel LLC brought the countersuit in September 2022 Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging causes of action that include two claims for tortious interference with contractual relations and one for intentional interference with contract. In a ruling Monday, Judge Lia Martin said Nouvel can proceed with those three claims as well as one for trespass to chattels. The judge dismissed two Nouvel causes of action that deal with Luxembourg law, saying she is not inclined to recognize the causes of action.

A judge has ruled the company founded by Angelina Jolie can move forward with most of its causes of action in its $250 million countersuit against Brad Pitt.  FILE PHOTO

The judge had taken Pitt’s motion under submission March 13 before ruling Monday.

The “Bullet Train” actor, now 60, started the litigation by suing the 48-year-old Jolie, Nouvel and others in February 2022, alleging Jolie sold Nouvel and her stake in Chateau Miraval last October without Pitt’s permission, despite a previous agreement that they would never sell their respective interests in Miraval without the other’s consent.

“Ever since his former wife, Angelina Jolie, filed for divorce from him in 2016, Brad Pitt has been waging a vindictive war against her and Nouvel, her former investment company,” the countersuit states.

Nouvel is taking legal action “to seek redress for the illegal and malicious actions of Pitt and his allies to injure Nouvel by devaluing its investments and depriving it of its proper role in the management of Chateau
Miraval, the world-famous producer of rose wine,” the countersuit states.

After “quietly hijacking the highly profitable Chateau Miraval, Pitt wasted its assets, spending millions on vanity projects, including more than $1 million on swimming pool renovations and other funds restoring a recording studio,” the countersuit states.

“Worse yet, Pitt has attempted to turn over 50% of the ownership of Chateau Miraval’s most valuable assets, the Miraval trademarks, to his good friend Marc Perrin — for free,” according to the countersuit.

In an effort to “cover up his illegal and reprehensible conduct, Pitt has taken the offensive, employing a classic “blame the victims’ strategy,” the countersuit further states.

Pitt and his people have told Nouvel’s representatives that Jolie, Nouvel and Nouvel’s current owners are responsible for a business dispute that he “instigated and that he continues to escalate,” according to the countersuit. (CNS)