Welcome to The Scoop — the ultimate back-to-the-office water cooler cheat sheet, your go-to source for all things everyone really wants to know! Get the latest on everything from the political swamp maneuvering in D.C. to Hollywood drama to jaw-dropping small-town shenanigans from Paula Froelich. Subscribe to her newsletter here.
(NewsNation) — It only took seven years and $14 million, but Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are finally divorced. But just because they are both legally single doesn’t mean the court battles will stop.
In California, a judge can bifurcate a divorce — declaring each party single, while the two divorcees continue to duke it out over finances. And the couple’s biggest battle, over the French winery Chateau Miraval, is far from over.
In October 2021, Jolie sold her half of the winery to Tenute del Mondo, the wine division of the Stoli Group, which is owned by a Russian oligarch, Yuri Shefler — a move Pitt claims was “vindictive” and illegal. According to court papers, the couple “agreed they would never sell their respective interests in Miraval without the other’s consent.”
“At the same time Angelina was talking to (Shefler) about Miraval she was also negotiating in bad faith with Brad to sell him her share in the winery,” the friend said. “It’s in the original purchase agreement that if either want to sell they have to give each other the first right of refusal. She got angry because a judge awarded Brad 50/50 custody and (four months later) Brad finds out from the press she had sold her part of the business to the Russian!”
(In May 2021, Judge John Ouderkirk awarded Pitt 50/50 custody of the couple’s children. But in July 2021, the decision was reversed due to claims that Ouderkirk “violated his ethical obligations” by not disclosing previous ties to Pitt, according to People magazine).
-
In this combination photo, Angelina Jolie, left, arrives at the European Premiere of “Maleficent Mistress of Evil” in central London on Oct. 9, 2019, and Brad Pitt poses in the press room at the Oscars on April 25, 2021, in Los Angeles. A California appeals court on Friday, July 23, 2021, disqualified a private judge being used by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in their divorce case, handing Jolie a major victory. The 2nd District Court of Appeal agreed with Jolie that Judge John Ouderkirk didn’t sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt’s attorneys. The decision means that the custody fight over the couple’s five minor children, which was nearing an end, could be starting over. (AP Photo) -
FILE – This file photo combination shows Angelina Jolie at a premiere in Los Angeles on Sept. 30, 2019, left, and Brad Pitt at a special screening on Sept. 18, 2019. The California Supreme Court has refused to consider Pitt’s appeal of a court ruling that disqualified the judge in his custody battle with Jolie. The court on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, denied review of a June appeals court decision that said the private judge hearing the case should be disqualified for failing to sufficiently disclose his business relationships with Pitt’s attorneys. (AP Photo/File) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 08: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attend a private reception as costumes and props from Disney’s “Maleficent” are exhibited in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital at Kensington Palace on May 8, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
The Battle of the Roses wages on as Pitt is suing Jolie for damages, alongside his suit with Tenute del Mondo. Jolie is said to have sold her stake in Miraval for over $60 million. It is not clear what monetary amount Pitt is looking for in damages.
So far, Pitt has been successful — maintaining control over the vineyard when a court in Luxembourg ruled that 10% of the winery controlled by Tenute had to be held in escrow for two years. Before they married, the couple had bought the vineyard, as a 60/40 split. Years into their marriage, Pitt gifted Jolie 10% more as a wedding gift — for one euro. It is this 10% that is being held in escrow.
As I reported last year, Pitt spends $400,000 a year per child on support for his 14-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox (the rest of the couple’s brood is over 18).
The good news is, Miraval aside, a source tells us the couple are “very close” to a financial settlement (excluding Miraval). It’s believed Pitt will likely forgive the 2017 loan he made to Jolie for $8 million so she could buy a $24.5 million, six-bedroom, 10-bathroom home in Los Feliz.
However, Jolie isn’t off the hook, according to sources.
“She could be in serious financial trouble,” another insider said. “She’s not acting that much and she is spending a lot of money on legal bills to defend the Miraval case.” In addition, her store in New York, Atelier Jolie, is “a ghost town,” one fashionista sniffed. “The prices are fine — but the quality isn’t there — the clothes are basic. I mean if you are going to do wardrobe staples look at (Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen’s line) The Row. Now that is tailored quality!” While customers are supposed to call for an appointment at the store, several people have walked in and been served at the store’s (empty) café.
Meanwhile, Pitt, 59, has moved on and moved in with his girlfriend, jewelry designer Ines de Ramon, 33. The couple have been together since 2022 and a close friend says she is joining him in Europe while he films “Apex,” his movie inspired by the F1 racing circuit and the Grand Prix.
A rep for Pitt declined comment. A rep for Jolie did not respond for comment.
