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Angelina Jolie battling Brad Pitt in court over sale of French wine business
By Melissa Roberto
Published July 08, 2021
Angelina Jolie is taking Brad Pitt to court over the sale of their French chateau and wine business.
According to legal documents obtained by Fox News, the "Maleficent" actress has been eager to sell her interest in the exes' Miraval Chateau Winery. After two years, Jolie's team says she's found a third party interested in buying Nouvel, LLC, but she's unable to sign off on the deal because of Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders (ATROs) that went into effect immediately upon the former couple's divorce proceedings.
In a memo obtained by Fox News, Jolie's attorney, Joseph Mannis, is asking the court to lift the ATROs so she can close the deal before the buyer pulls out.
Mannis argues that Jolie acquired Nouvel, LLC before her marriage to Pitt and she's the "sole member."
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Angelina Jolie wants to sell her interest in the French wine estate they owned together. (Jason Laveris/Filmmagic)
The documents show a hearing on the matter is expected to be held on September 22 but "time is of the essence" given that the third-party buyer could withdraw from the agreement.
Jolie's legal team alleges that the request was filed because Pitt's attorney, Lance Spiegel, has failed to provide a response as to why they oppose lifting the ATROs.
"As of the signing of this declaration, I have not received a response to my inquiry on June 25, 2021, whether Respondent will stipulate to lift the ATROs as they may apply to the subject sale transaction. I also have not received an explanation of the legal basis for Respondent to block the sale other than the existence of the ATROs," Mannis writes.
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Jolie's team made a similar request in late June, the documents state, but Hon. Judge Andrew Giza denied it for "lack of showing of immediate danger/irreparable harm or immediate loss/danger to property."
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Meanwhile, it appears selling her interest in the wine estate is something that Jolie has been in pursuit of for years. The director hired Laurent Schummer, an attorney in Luxembourg, to assist in selling Nouvel, LLC to a third party. In a memo addressed to the court, Schummer says Jolie is "extremely desirous of closing the pending agreement for the sale."
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It was also communicated to the court that Jolie "does not want to jointly hold separate property assets with her ex-husband or be his unwilling and disregarded business partner."
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Attorneys for Pitt did not immediately return Fox News' request for comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/angelina-jolie-battling-brad-pitt-court-sale-french-wine-business