Outraged Brad Pitt accuses Angelina Jolie of selling her half of his beloved Miraval French winery to Russian oligarch with 'poisonous associations' and 'cutthroat business tactics' to 'inflict harm' on him in retaliation over custody fight

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Published on Tuesday, 07 June 2022 04:32

Written by Daily mail

          The battle of the exes Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has taken a dark new turn.Pitt, 58, has accused the Maleficent actress of trying to damage him by secretly selling her stake in his French vineyard to 'a Russian oligarch' with 'poisonous intentions' - which allegedly include a plan to take complete control of the multi-million dollar business - according to legal documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.Jolie, 47, sold half of the thriving Chateau Miraval winery to a company run by Yuri Shefler, the owner of the company that makes the flagship Russian vodka Stolichnaya - renamed Stoli. Having made 'desperate attempts to disassociate himself from the Putin regime, the Stoli brand is now a massive international liability,' the papers allege, citing Putin's invasion of Ukraine.'Stolichnaya has been the object of boycotts throughout the world. 'The US Treasury Department designated Shefler as an "oligarch in the Russian Federation" in an unclassified report to Congress made pursuant to the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017,' according to the documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 3.The South of France chateau, where the couple wed in 2014, became Pitt's 'passion' and under his guidance has become one of the world's most highly-regarded producers of rosé wine, according to the court papers.But in October 2021, Jolie 'purported to sell her interest to Tenute del Mondo, a hostile third-party competitor bent on taking control of Miraval', the papers filed by Pitt's attorneys claim.Jolie's motivation for the sale was to 'inflict harm on Pitt,' the papers allege.And sources point out that the timing of the sale was linked to a judge's decision to issue a tentative ruling giving Pitt 50/50 custody in the couple's bitter custody battle over their five minor children at the time.'Jolie was livid,' one source told DailyMail.com, 'and vindictive.' The company is a subsidiary of Stoli Group, meaning it is 'indirectly owned' by Shefler, who is based in the United Kingdom. 'Jolie pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt's contractual rights,' the star's attorneys continue.'By doing so, Jolie sought to seize profits she had not earned and returns on an investment she did not make. Also through the purported sale, Jolie sought to inflict harm on Pitt.'Jolie knew and intended that Shefler and his affiliates would try to control the business Pitt had built and to undermine Pitt's investment in Miraval.'The Fight Club star's attorneys say those fears were immediately realized.'And just as Jolie envisioned, that is exactly what Shefler has done,' they outline in their first amended complaint document.'Since claiming to acquire Jolie's interest in Miraval, Shefler has launched a hostile takeover of the wine business, destabilizing Miraval's operations and seeking access to Miraval's confidential and proprietary information for the benefit of his competing enterprise.'At the same time, Miraval's association with Shefler—who has gained notoriety through cutthroat business tactics and dubious professional associations—jeopardizes the reputation of the brand Pitt so carefully built,' the documents state.'All of this is the direct result of Jolie's unlawful and tortious conduct. In violation of the parties' agreement, Jolie has sought to force Pitt into partnership with a stranger, and worse yet, a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions.'
         The filing also claims the sale violates an agreement the couple made at the outset of their partnership in the 1,000-acre Chateau Miraval estate, which they bought in 2008 and is in Correns, near Aix-en-Provence. It gave Pitt first refusal to buy her stake if she wanted to sell, the judge has been told.And this latest legal battle between the warring exes is further complicated by a dispute over the size of Jolie's stake.Miraval is owned by Quimicum, a company in which Pitt originally held a 60 per cent share through his entity Mondo Bongo while Jolie held 40 per cent through her company Nouvel.Three years before he and Jolie split in 2016, Pitt transferred ten per cent of Mondo Bongo's shares to Nouvel, making them 50/50 stakeholders in Quimicum.But according to the lawsuit, the ten per cent transfer is void as the shares were 'sold' for only 1 Euro and not a 'serious' amount as required by Luxembourg law.Pitt has also hit out at the timing of Jolie's sale of Nouvel, linking it with a judge's decision to issue a tentative ruling giving him 50/50 custody in the couple's bitter custody battle over their five minor children at the time.His attorneys say that originally, buyout negotiations for Miraval, worth $164million, had begun between the stars and were proceeding in April 2021.'The negotiations progressed to a very advanced stage, and the parties even reached an agreement on price,' they write.'In May 2021, however, the judge appointed to preside over the couple's custody proceedings issued a detailed tentative ruling—following a weeks-long trial—finding that Jolie was not credible and that the existing custody order required modification, at Pitt's request, in the best interests of Pitt and Jolie's children.'They add that 'in the wake of that ruling, and notwithstanding that the parties were on the cusp of striking a deal on a buyout of Jolie's stake, Jolie's representatives abruptly informed Pitt' a month later that talks were at an end.The reps also 'disingenuously accused Pitt of having no intent of finalizing an agreement'.'As one of Jolie's letters summed it up', write the lawyers, 'we consider ourselves free from any negotiations with you,' and 'free to pursue any other transactions that we would deem appropriate to undertake'.'The famous couple, dubbed Brangelina, bought the chateau as a home to share with their six children as well as a vineyard to run as a family business, the papers say.However, the estate was in dire straits and leaking money due to its previous owner. Pitt then formed an association with renowned winemaker Marc Perrin to reinvent it into a world-class enterprise.'The vineyard became Pitt's passion—and a profitable one, as Miraval, under Pitt's stewardship, has grown into a multimillion-dollar global business and one of the world's most highly regarded producers of rosé wine,' say the papers. Jolie, on the other hand, was a bystander, claim the lawyers.
         The Maleficent star 'meanwhile contributed nothing to Miraval's success,' they write.'Instead, she allowed Pitt to pour money and sweat equity into the business in reliance on the consent right she owed him and a right of first refusal her business entity owed his.' The first wine by the joint venture, Miraval Rosé 2012, 'was an instant success'. Its first 6,000 bottles sold out online within five hours. Expert publication Wine Spectator awarded it a coveted spot on its Top 100 of 2013 list—the first rosé to ever appear on the list, said the paperwork.Miraval's sales rocketed and merchants resorted to being on waiting lists for its latest wines.Though she benefitted from Miraval's success, Jolie had no involvement in these efforts,' say Pitt's lawyers.'As she herself stated in court documents, 'I regarded the house as my home, and I used it for meetings related to my international work.' She did not contribute to the growth of the business.'By 2019, three years after the couple split, Miraval wines were being sold in 65 countries and success has continued, say Pitt's lawyers.'Pitt—through significant financial investment and years of sweat equity—has built a highly successful family-owned business,' the legal papers state. 'Miraval has correspondingly grown massively in value since 2008 and is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars.'Meanwhile, Jolie has not returned to Miraval since filing for divorce in 2016. She did nothing to drive the growth of its business. Instead, she allowed Pitt to make these investments and devote himself to the business in reliance on the consent right she owed him…'Miraval's success and associated rise in value offered Jolie an opportunity to capitalize on Pitt's success and cash out, without contributing anything at all to the enterprise…. Pitt was prepared to buy Jolie out, either in whole or in part, on reasonable terms.Shefler, Soviet-born and with British and Israeli citizenship, was watching that success from afar.And the owner of the SPI Group, which sells alcohol in 160 countries, seized on the Brangelina divorce news in 2016 to make a 60 million euro bid for Miraval, the papers say. He also offered a 'bizarre sweetener' for Pitt of a 50 million euro private jet on 'very attractive terms'.The offer was rebuffed, but in early 2021 Shefler's associates came back and had a meeting with Pitt. However, the star confirmed he had no interest in a deal.'Jolie had thus sold Nouvel not just to a stranger but to the very stranger with whom Pitt and Miraval had refused to deal,' write the attorneys.'No one affiliated with Stoli or Tenute del Mondo ever contacted Pitt before the announcement of the purported sale. Nor did Jolie seek Pitt's consent to the transaction or even offer to sell Nouvel to Pitt on the same terms as she purportedly sold to Tenute del Mondo.'To the contrary, Jolie and Shefler hid the discussions and declined to disclose the terms of the contemplated deal to Pitt at all. Pitt still does not know what those terms are.' Pitt's attorneys have also linked Shefler in their document to Putin, whose February invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of innocent civilians. 'Shefler also maintains personal and professional relationships with individuals in Vladimir Putin's inner circle,' they allege in court documents.
         But the vodka the tycoon publicly criticized the Putin regime following the invasion of Ukraine – and said he was exiled from his homeland.He was changing the name of his vodka from Stolichnaya to Stoli in direct response to Moscow's war, he said in a media release.'While I have been exiled from Russia since 2000 due to my opposition to Putin, I have remained proud of the Stolichnaya brand,' he said.Pitt accuses Jolie, Shefler, Oliynik, SPI Group and Tenute del Mundo in the law suit of two counts of breach of contract, breaching good faith, and tortious interference with contractual relations. He is demanding a jury trial.The once feted showbiz couple have six children – Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 16 and twins Knox and Vivienne, 13.Despite Pitt's 50/50 custody victory just before Jolie decided to sell her stake in Marival, he was later stripped of having joint parental control. And in October 2021, a judge denied his petition to review that ruling.

 source : Daily mail   

Happy birthday

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Published on Saturday, 04 June 2022 10:46

Written by Super User

All fans of Absolument JOLIE and team wish a wonderful birthday to Angelina Jolie, who is celebrating her 47 years. After the divorce recently, we wish him courage, and we send him our love. Thank you to be so beautifully different ... Do not hesitate to register to send your own personal message ...

REVEALED: Angelina Jolie pays secret visit to orphans in Ukraine during whistle-stop tour of warzone as actress declares: 'The impact on the children is devastating to see'

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Published on Monday, 02 May 2022 05:11

Written by Daily mail

            Angelina Jolie made a secret visit to an orphanage in Ukraine as part of a whistle-stop trip to the war-torn nation.The Hollywood star, 46, kept her journey under wraps, with members of her entourage reportedly signing deals banning them from revealing any details.Local officials had no knowledge of her visit to the orphanage at an undisclosed location around 90 minutes’ drive from the western city of Lviv.The mother of six is a UN envoy for refugees but officials there insisted her visit was made in ‘a private capacity’.Sources said Miss Jolie left the country tonight after arriving in Lviv on Saturday. The star of Tomb Raider also visited children at a hospital and later spoke to refugees at the train station, which 1.5 million Ukrainians have travelled through fleeing to safety. When an air raid alert sounded, Miss Jolie seemed unfazed before being ushered away.Asked if she was afraid, she replied: ‘No, I don’t care.’ Last night in a statement, the actress said: ‘I’m humbled to witness the resilience and courage and dignity of the Ukrainian people. The impact the war is having on a generation of Ukrainian children is devastating to see.’A spokesman denied that Miss Jolie, who has three adopted children, planned to adopt another, insisting that the secrecy around the orphanage visit was for security reasons.Reporters who tried to approach the star at the train station on Saturday were told it was a private visit.‘Angelina said her visit was not for press,’ said aid volunteer Rostyslav Hetman (CORR) who posed for a selfie with Ms Jolie at the station.However, Ms Jolie did pose for dozens of selfies and travelled with her own personal photographer who supplied pictures hand-picked by the star to the media.Before giving birth to her three youngest children Shiloh, 14, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 13, who she had with actor Brad Pitt, Jolie became a mom to Maddox, 20, Pax, 18 and Zahara, 17, through adoption.Maddox and Zahara were adopted from orphanages in Cambodia and Ethiopia by Angelina.She and her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton adopted her oldest child, Maddox Chivan in 2002.The pair took in Maddox after finding him in a Cambodian orphanage, but the adoption process took a while due to US government legislation.Three years after welcoming Maddox into her family, Angelina adopted six-month-old Ethiopian orphan Zahara Marley.Miss Jolie previously opened up about the importance of honouring her three adopted children’s roots in an interview with Vogue.‘Each is a beautiful way of becoming family. What is important is to speak with openness about all of it and to share. “Adoption” and “orphanage” are positive words in our home,’ the Oscar winner said.She went on to describe her children as ‘six very brave, very strong young people.’In the same interview, the movie star spoke of ending her marriage to Brad Pitt, whom she met in 2004 on the set of the film Mr. And Mrs. Smith, for the ‘well-being’ of kids.The former Hollywood power couple - known as Brangelina - married in August 2014 after 10 years together. But they split in 2016 after Mr Pitt and Maddox allegedly got into an argument on a private jet while on the way to Los Angeles.The row led to Angelina filing for divorce that year. Mr Pitt was later cleared of any wrongdoing but a judge granted Angelina physical custody of all six children.

 source : Daily mail   

Angelina Jolie Ukraine air raid terror: Moment actress and her entourage are bundled to safety in a bunker as sirens blare during a visit to Lviv in war-torn country

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Published on Sunday, 01 May 2022 10:40

Written by Daily mail

           Movie star Angelina Jolie has been rushed to safety amid fears of an imminent rocket attack while on a visit to the western city of Lviv in Ukraine. Jolie, 46, drew attention as a video emerged of her walking briskly with an entourage as an air raid siren went off.As the group was filmed walking away to safety, a female member turned to the camera and said 'please, no more'. Movie star Angelina Jolie has been rushed to safety amid fears of an imminent rocket attack while on a visit to the western city of Lviv in Ukraine. The actress herself took time to wave to the camera and insisted 'I'm okay' when asked.Jolie has worked as a special envoy for the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency for many years, but the specifics of her trip to Ukraine are unclear.Lviv has been under attack from the Russian army in recent weeks and earlier this month, a missile attack on the city left at least seven people dead.Earlier, Ukrainian Maya Pidhorodetska posted another video of the famous actress and filmmaker on Facebook.'Nothing special. Just Lviv. I just went to have coffee. Just Angelina Jolie,' she wrote in Ukrainian after filming the actress, who waved to her from the counter. 'Ukraine is simply supported by the whole world.'In Pidhorodetska's clip, Jolie was seen happily talking with locals in Lviv while wearing casual clothes.Fans spotted her in the Ukrainian city, greeting Jolie as Russian forces gathered in the east of the country for a renewed assault.Footage taken earlier in the day shows her singing autographs for fans and sharing conversations with several local residents.Lviv's regional governor Maksym Kozytsky said Jolie - who has been a UNHCR Special Envoy for Refugees since 2011 - had come to speak with displaced people who have found refuge in Lviv, including children undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station in early April.The attack in the eastern Ukrainian city appeared to deliberately target a crowd of mostly women and children trying to flee a looming Russian offensive, killing at least 52 and wounding dozens more.'She was very moved by (the children´s) stories,' Kozytsky wrote. 'One girl was even able to privately tell Ms. Jolie about a dream she'd had.'He said Jolie also visited a boarding school, talk with students and took photos with them, adding 'she promised she would come again.' In February, Jolie spoke about the war in Ukraine in a post to her 12.7 million Instagram followers.She wrote: 'Like many of you, I'm praying for the people in Ukraine.'My focus along with my @refugees colleagues is that everything possible is done to ensure the protection and basic human rights of those displaced, and refugees in the region.
          'We have already seen reports of casualties and people starting to flee their homes to seek safety.'It is too soon to know what will happen, but the significance of this moment - for the people of Ukraine, and for the international rule of law - cannot be overstated.' 'The visit was a surprise to us all,' wrote Lviv's regional governor on his Telegram channel. 'Plenty of people who saw Ms. Jolie in the Lviv region could not believe that it was really her. But since Feb. 24, Ukraine has shown the entire world that there are plenty of incredible things here.' According to Kozytsky, Jolie also met with evacuees arriving at Lviv's central railway station, as well as with Ukrainian volunteers providing the new arrivals with medical help and counseling.During the visit to the station, Jolie met volunteers working with the displaced, who told her that each of the psychiatrists on duty spoke to about 15 people a day. Many of those in the station are children aged from two to 10, according to volunteers.'They must be in shock... I know how trauma affects children, I know just having somebody show how much they matter, how much their voices matter, I know how healing that is for them,' she said in reply.The United Nations refugee agency says more than 12.7 million people have fled their homes in the past two months, which represents around 30 per cent of Ukraine's pre-war population. Last month, in her role as special envoy, Jolie also visited Yemen, where millions of people have been displaced by war.But she is not the first American celebrity to land in Ukraine during the conflict.American actor Sean Penn was met with the country's president and attending government press briefings as part of a VICE documentary he is filming.When Kyiv was under assault, Penn and his team walked miles to the Polish border.The actor, 61, said both he and his film crew decided to abandon their car and pursue on foot after seeing the thousands of Ukrainian residents fleeing for safety, with queues stretching for miles. Penn described how cars were filled with women and children, with their only possession of value being the vehicle they were travelling in.
          The documentary is a VICE Studios production, 'in association with VICE World News and Endeavor Content,' according to a spokesman for the media group.In a translated Facebook post, the Ukrainian government said it was grateful for Sean being there and he was lauded as being more courageous than Western leaders.Although the majority of the fighting has shifted to the east of the country, Ukrainian cities in the West such as Lviv are still under bombardment from Russian missile attacks.On Saturday, Ukrainian officials said the bodies of more than 1,000 civilians have been retrieved from areas around Kyiv, and they are working with French investigators to document alleged war crimes.Forensic tests carried out on civilian corpses dumped in mass graves show women were raped before being brutally killed, it was revealed on Monday.Dozens of autopsies have been carried out on mutilated corpses from Bucha, Irpin and Borodianka, with many showing signs of torture and multiple bullet holes in the back.One coroner north of Kyiv said it is difficult to find signs of rape and sexual abuse because the bodies 'are in such bad shape'.A United Nations mission to Bucha documented 'the unlawful killing, including by summary execution, of some 50 civilians there', the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said.In the same town, 25 women aged 14 to 25 were kept in a basement and systematically raped, with nine of the women becoming pregnant in a case now recorded by human rights commissioner Lyudmila Denisova.

 source : Daily mail