Brad Pitt accused Angelina Jolie of seeking 'to inflict harm' after she sold her stake in their co-owned vineyard to a Russian oligarch, forcing him to partner with 'a stranger with poisonous associations and intentions'

• Brad Pitt filed a new lawsuit against ex-wife Angelina Jolie over the sale of her stake in their co-owned vineyard.
• Last October, Jolie purportedly sold her stake to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler, who owns vodka brand Stoli.

Brad Pitt accused his ex-wife Angelina Jolie of seeking to "inflict harm" after she sold her stake in their couple's French vineyard to a Russian oligarch, according to a new lawsuit.

Last week, Pitt filed an amended complaint against his ex-wife, following his initial February lawsuit over selling her stake in their co-owned vineyard, Château Miraval, to a subsidiary of the vodka brand Stoli, owned by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler, without her ex-husband's knowledge.

In the follow-up lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on June 3, 2022, Pitt echoed his previous claims from the February complaint, claiming Jolie "pursued and then consummated the purported sale in secret, purposely keeping Pitt in the dark, and knowingly violating Pitt's contractual rights."

By making the purported sale of her stake to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of Stoli controlled by Shefler, last October, the lawsuit accused Jolie of seeking "to seize profits she had not earned and returns on an investment she did not make" and "to inflict harm on Pitt," according to the 54-page lawsuit obtained by Insider.

"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 lawsuit continued. "And just as Jolie envisioned, that is exactly what Shefler has done."

Pitt went on to invoke Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, saying that Shefler's "relationships and reputation" as a Russian-born billionaire founder of the vodka brand Stoli could pose a commercial risk to Miraval.

"Since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Miraval's insurer has sought assurances that Shefler is not aligned with Putin and that affiliation with Stoli would not create commercial risk," the lawsuit said. "That inquiry is no surprise; in the wake of Russia's invasion, discarding bottles of Stolichnaya vodka, Stoli's signature product, has come to signify solidarity with Ukraine, and boycotts of Stoli-affiliated products became widespread."

"Long-term distributors of the wine business have expressed concern about Miraval's ties to Shefler and questioned their continued commitment to distribute Miraval rosé," according to the lawsuit. "And a newly launched sanctions-advocacy project, developed and sponsored by the Ukrainian government in response to Russia's aggression, has publicly called for sanctioning Shefler."

In March, Shefler rebranded Stoli vodka, formerly known as Stolichnaya vodka, as a "direct response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine." Shefler also said he had been exiled from Russia since 2000 after Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted to "wrest control" of the vodka brand.

Alongside Shefler's Russian ties, Pitt's lawsuit also mentions their vineyard's reputation being put in jeopardy due to the Russian tycoon's "notoriety," which he said was gained through "cutthroat business tactics and dubious professional associations."

"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 lawsuit said.

A representative for Pitt declined to comment. Representatives for Tenute del Mondo and Jolie did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.