Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been battling each other in court for years. While the two are legally no longer married, their divorce has never been finalized as issues regarding custody of their children were a major sticking point for years. Now the major focus is on the ownership of a French winery Miraval that Pitt and Jolie each owned half of. It’s worth millions, and yet, it seems that just what happens with it may come down to basically one dollar.
Pitt and Jolie were equal owners of the winery at the time of their split, but what has been recently reported is that when they initially purchased the chateau and winery together, Brad Pitt paid for 60%, while Jolie owned 40%. Apparently when the two got married Pitt transferred 10% ownership to his new wife, making them equal partners. But according to the Wall Street Journal (via Page Six) Pitt didn’t technically gift the 10% ownership, he sold it to her for a single euro, a euro that Pitt now claims Jolie never paid, thus invalidating the transfer.
The one euro, about $1.08 at current exchange rates, was obviously meant to be a symbolic number. There almost certainly wasn’t an expectation that Jolie would actually pay the money, and yet the non-payment is now being used as a tactic to apparently try and invalidate the transfer of the 10% ownership. Pitt has sued Jolie to try and invalidate the sale of her half of Miraval Winery to Stoli Group. At the moment the 10% share at issue is being held in escrow while the legal war rages on.
Brad Pitt has argued that he and Jolie had a deal that if either party wanted to sell their stake, the other had to give consent. He reportedly says he never gave his consent for Jolie to sell her share, and thus it should be invalidated. Jolie reportedly claims there was no such agreement.
Even if Pitt isn't able to invalidate the entire sale, if he can regain the 10% share being fought over, it would give him a controlling interest in the winery, which, depending on exactly what his plans for the future of the winery are, might be sufficient for his needs. However, if Stoli Group finds itself a minority owner, that may impact its ownership interest, which could change everything.
Ultimately, a decision regarding Miraval might not need to be made for the divorce to be finalized. The ongoing lawsuit is a separate case, and the pair have apparently filed final financial disclosures with the court, indicating that the divorce battle may be coming to an end. If they can reach settlements on everything else, the divorce may finally be complete, even if the winery question is still being dealt with in a separate case.
