Brad Pitt Claims Angelina Jolie’s Sale of Half Their Winery to a Russian Has Tainted Its Image

Pitt sued Jolie for reportedly violating an agreement she said they never made

Brad Pitt is suing ex-wife Angelina Jolie, saying she deliberately kept him in the dark about the sale of her share of their family wine business to a Russian oligarch. The Oscar-winning actor claims in new court documents that — amid the continued war in Ukraine — the association presents an “existential threat to the business” due to the new part owner’s ties to Russia.

The first amended complaint about the winery, filed in February 2022, sought damages for declaratory relief, disgorgement, and damages, along with pre- and post-judgment interest for the defendants’ alleged tortious interference with contractual relations.

In legal documents obtained by PEOPLE, the complaint alleges that Jolie sold her interests in the property to Tenute del Mondo, whose parent company is the spirits manufacturer Stoli Group, which is "controlled by Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler."

“Shefler’s Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate has been the subject of repeated boycotts in connection with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and homophobic legislative Agenda,” the lawsuit says. “While Shefler may be seeking to launder his reputation by forcing a partnership with one of the world’s most well-known and popular actors, affiliation with Shefler and Stoli jeopardizes the reputation of the business that Pitt so carefully built with Perrin and with which Pitt has so closely and carefully associated himself and his image.”

Pitt reportedly learned of Jolie’s alleged putative sale via a press release.

The lawsuit claims the purported sale was “unlawful" due to “contractual agreement” breaches between Jolie and Pitt “to hold Miraval together and not sell their interests separately without the other’s consent.”

A source close to Jolie tells PEOPLE: "Mr. Pitt saying that he is suing his ex wife to protect his family is hard to understand because he is well aware the children have not felt able to return to the house in France for almost seven years now due to the events that led to Ms. Jolie filing for divorce." 

In 2008, Pitt, 59, and Jolie, 47, purchased a controlling interest in Château Miraval S.A., a French entity comprising a home and vineyard in the south of France, the same place the pair tied the knot in 2014.

“As reflected by their conduct and statements to one another over time, Pitt and Jolie agreed that they would hold Miraval together and, if the time came, that they would sell their interests separately only with the other’s consent,” the complaint alleges.

“But in the summer of 2021, amid a heated child custody dispute with Pitt, Jolie terminated those discussions and secretly purported to sell a 50% stake in the family home and family business,” the legal document describes.

Related: Everything to Know About Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Vineyard, Château Miraval

In September 2022, Jolie's former company fired back with its own countersuit against her ex over the wine business.

Jolie's former business Nouvel is seeking more than $250 million in damages, accusing Pitt of "waging a vindictive war against" Jolie ever since she filed for divorce back in 2016.

The lawsuit alleged Pitt "wasted its assets, spending millions on vanity projects, including more than $1 million on swimming pool renovations and other funds restoring a recording studio."

A rep for Jolie did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Related: Angelina Jolie's Former Company Claims Brad Pitt 'Masterminded' Plan to 'Seize Control' of Winery

Tom Bove, an American winemaker who owned the property in 1992, became one of France's top producers of organic wine.

The Mr. & Mrs. Smith stars continued the tradition by launching Miraval Wines in 2013. The first 6,000 bottles of rosé they produced sold out in five hours.

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