Latest news with #familydispute
Bloomberg
16 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Billionaire Fired From Polish Media Firm He Founded in Family Feud
In Poland, one of the country's biggest media businesses is embroiled in a rapidly escalating family dispute that's playing out like a real-life version of the hit television show 'Succession.' The saga at Cyfrowy Polsat SA, which has been running for months, ramped up on Tuesday when the company dismissed its billionaire founder Zygmunt Solorz as well as its chief executive.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Widow branded a 'gold digger' after secretly marrying super rich farmer a DAY before he died is 'broken' by his bitter family's claims
A widow who was all but accused of murdering her wealthy, much older husband to get his hands on his money has been left 'broken' at the portrayal of her as a cold-hearted gold digger. When Lisa Flaherty, a 50-year-old mother-of-three married dying landowner Joseph Grogan, 75, in secret, he was in the final stages of his long fight against blood cancer. Both Ms Flaherty and Mr Grogan, who had no children of his own, knew he didn't have long left to live, and his motivation was to secure the financial future of the woman who had cared for him - and guarantee her right to inherit his €5.5million estate. As it turned out his death came just 24 hours later and his body was embalmed within hours, making it virtually impossible to determine a definite cause of death. Mr Grogan's passing sparked a bitter war of words between Ms Flaherty and his family, who are fighting her for his 230-acre farm in the rural village of Screggan, a sleepy, forgotten backwater in Co Offaly, central Ireland. They paint a picture of Ms Flaherty as a calculating black widow who, sensing an opportunity to get her hands on his estate, moved in with him in January 2023 to become his carer when he was first diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He died three months later on April 15 of that year. But their story is a lot more complicated than that with her friends keen to point out that it goes all the way back to 1991 when Ms Flaherty was 16 and had just finished school and he was a 41-year-old farmer, some 25 years her senior. They were together for some years before they split when Ms Flaherty reached her early 20s. She went on to marry a local man, with whom she had three children; two girls called Danielle and Emma and a son, Darcy. All are now in their mid 20s. But all the while, say friends, Joseph was an ever-present in her life, in the background and the pair remained close. He was seen very much as a father figure to her son and two daughters growing up, they say. It's why those close to Ms Flaherty told MailOnline that she has been left 'broken' at the suggestion that she 'engineered' his death for financial gain. During an inquest into his death last week, she broke down on several occasions and had to leave the court as lawyers for the Grogan family called into question her credibility – and accusing her of leaving him to die at home by not calling in medics or taking him to hospital. Those close to Ms Flaherty say the uncaring portrayal of her couldn't be further from the truth. Those who know the couple in Screggan, which is made up of a shop, a pub, an off licence, a hair salon and around 100 homes, say behind the salacious headlines lies an unorthodox tale of enduring love and commitment between the two. Joe Keys, who was one of Mr Grogan's best friends said: 'The world can think what it wants but how Lisa has been portrayed is not right. They were both wonderful people who were very well respected in this community. Lisa didn't care for Joe because she wanted his money, that's total rubbish.' A close friend of Ms Flaherty fumed: 'I've known both all my life and I can promise you, they were very much in love. They were committed to each other, nobody cared for Joe like Lisa did, not even his own family. The two of them were inseparable. 'She's the one who was beside him throughout his life and when he needed her most, as he was dying. She did an amazing job, and it wasn't for financial reasons, Lisa is not that sort of person. She's one of the most loving and kind people you could ever meet.' While giving evidence at the inquest, Ms Flaherty indicated that her relationship with Mr Grogan started when she was a teenager. This led to an angry response from Damien Tansey, barrister for three of his first cousins, who claimed that it had caused anxiety to his family as it 'puts Joseph Grogan into the realm of being a paedophile.' But Ms Flaherty's friend explained: 'It does sound a bit strange, but this is rural Ireland, strange things happen. Lisa was very young when she first met Joe, but it wasn't a big deal, she was above the legal age of consent and there was nothing paedophile about his intentions. It was the start of a loving, caring relationship that continued for many years. 'Although they split up when Lisa was in her 20s, Joe remained a big part of her life. He thought of those kids as his own, had Christmas dinner with them every year and at one point, Darcy was even working for him at a quarry he ran on his farm. 'Even though Lisa and Joe went their separate ways, the bond between them was always there and grew stronger. He would always refer to her as 'My Lisa.' They were together even when they weren't together if you know what I mean.' After splitting from her husband, Ms Flaherty raised her children in a modest three-bedroom terraced home located just a five-minute walk from Mr Grogan's detached bungalow, which lies at the entrance to his sprawling farm. She divided her time between the two properties but as his health deteriorated, she virtually lived with Mr Grogan full time and combined caring for him with her work as a special needs assistant in a local school. Ms Flaherty is also a leading figure in women's Gaelic football and has even worked for the sport's governing body to help develop the sport amongst girls. Thomas, who has lived in Screggan for more than 50 years, said: 'Joe was a very big-hearted man, he'd do anything for anyone. Lisa is really involved in local sports and is a pillar of our community. You won't find anyone around here who has a bad word to say about either of them.' But Mr Grogan's family would beg to differ. They insisted during the inquest that he was a confirmed bachelor and that they were excluded from being involved in his life, especially towards his latter days. They were not informed about his marriage and only discovered he had died after being told by a friend. Mr Grogan was an only child who came from a large extended family and had 39 cousins. He inherited his multi-million farm from his father and also received close to £800,000 in compensation after part of it was compulsorily purchased to build a road. A Grogan family source told MailOnline that a family meeting is to be held over the coming weeks where they will consider what further legal steps they can take. The source said: 'Our position is clear. The marriage is a sham and is not valid and we are considering challenging this in the High Court. We also have concerns about the care Joe received or rather didn't receive and this adds to our argument that the police need to investigate. 'We don't want to say too much about Ms Flaherty and what some of the local community think about her because we know what we think. Our lawyers made this clear during the inquest and nothing has changed.' At the inquest, three of Mr Grogan's cousins, Alo, Margaret and Seán were represented by barrister Damien Tansey. His 90-year-old aunt, Teresa Mooney was represented by solicitor Peter Jones. All challenged the validity of the marriage while calling on the coroner to order a police investigation and return a verdict of unlawful killing. But the coroner delivered a 'narrative verdict' which is an account of the circumstances surrounding a death rather than a direct ruling as to its cause. He said that it was probably due to an infection associated with Mr Grogan's cancer, chemotherapy treatment, damage to the immune system, and significant weight loss. He added that there had been 'valid criticism' of his care in the days leading up to his death, but it had to be borne in mind that Mr Grogan did not want to go to hospital. His friends in Screggan also told MailOnline that he had made it clear to them that he wanted to die at home and was not interested in further medical attention. The coroner also said that he could not make any ruling on the validity of the marriage and that the evidence of Mr Grogan's death did not come 'anywhere near' the threshold required for a finding of unlawful killing. Following the inquest, Ms Flaherty has temporarily left Screggan with friends claiming that she needs time to recuperate and 'mend.' But since Mr Grogan's death she has already taken over the management of his farm, which is well known for staging Ireland's National Ploughing Championships. She recently appeared with her three children at a media event to announce this year's competition which will be staged from September 16-18 where she was named as 'Lisa Flaherty Grogan.' As her close friend Margaret maintained: 'She has every right to take Joe's name and his farm. She's the one who did all the hard work and he wanted to make sure she was financially cared for after he died. There's nothing more to this case than that.'
The Independent
14-07-2025
- The Independent
Family of car boot king who fathered 19 children caught in £43m battle for fortune
The fortune of a multimillionaire car boot king who fathered 19 children is at the centre of a £43m family will fight. Richard Scott - who died aged 81 in 2018 - made a fortune running the UK's second biggest boot fair from his "vast" Cheshire farm, where ITV 's 'Car Boot Challenge' was filmed. Mr Scott's eldest son and "favourite" Adam Scott - described as his dad's "golden boy" - says he sacrificed his life to work on the farm side-by-side with his father from the age of nine, and was promised it would all be his one day. But after the death of Adam's mum, Richard remarried in 2016 to his former cleaner Jennifer Scott - who was 28 years his junior and younger even than his son - and then wrote Adam out of his will, leaving Jennifer in control of his estate and farmland, which she says could now be worth up to £43m. Now Adam, 62, is suing his step-mum, 60, as executor of Richard's estate, claiming his father was not in his right mind when he signed his two final wills. He also says his dad promised him that he would have the right to take over the farm after his death and that he sacrificed everything to commit to "a life of hard and unrelenting physical work" on the back of those promises. But lawyers for Jennifer claim Richard knew exactly what he was doing when he disinherited his first born after Adam's relationship with his dad "completely broke down" when he tried to get Richard sectioned. They also say he has no claim to his dad's estate on the basis of the alleged promises, having already been handed land and property worth over £10m before Richard's death. London's High Court heard that "mercurial character" Richard was "a ruthless, single-minded and highly successful businessman who built up a valuable property empire" before switching to running giant and lucrative car boot sales. He fathered an astonishing 19 children, lawyers for Jennifer told the court, six with his first wife, plus six illegitimate children during that relationship, followed by another seven with Jennifer, who was working as his cleaner when the pair first got together in 1994. Richard and Jennifer eventually married in 2016 just two years before his death in a controversial marriage disrupted by Adam trying to prevent the wedding going ahead, claiming his dad didn't have the mental capacity to marry. "It is common ground that on 22 April 2016 Adam attended the registry office and alleged that Richard lacked capacity to marry," Alex Troup KC, for Jennifer, told Mr Justice Richards. "That led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, all of whom were satisfied that he did have capacity to marry. The wedding therefore went ahead." By the time he died of cancer, Richard owned "a huge quantity of land" around Chelford, Cheshire, which has been officially valued for probate at around £7m, but which Jennifer claims is worth £43m based on offers she has received and development potential. Adam's lawyers say he spent over 40 years helping his dad run the "vast, sprawling" farm and managing the car boot sales he held on part of it, and had been in line to inherit it on the basis that he would pay the probate value of the land, with that cash then to be split amongst his many siblings. But in 2016, just months after his second marriage, Richard signed the two wills which disinherited Adam and left Jennifer in control of his wealth, as executor and a major beneficiary. Jennifer's two sons, Gordon and William Redgrave-Scott, and Adam's sister Rebecca Horley were also made beneficiaries of the last wills. Adam is now challenging the validity of those two final wills on the basis that his dad lacked mental capacity at the time they were made. He is also bringing an alternative claim under the law of proprietary estoppel - a legal remedy that can be used when a landowner has promised property will be transferred to someone else at a later date - only to later go back on the promise. Constance McDonnell KC, for Adam, told the judge: "At the heart of this case is a relationship between a father and a son, their shared devotion to the family farm in Cheshire, and a recognition by the father of his son's willingness to commit to a life of hard and unrelenting physical work. "This case is a paradigm example of a dedicated child's claim to a farm, pursuant to a parent's promise of inheritance. "Adam seeks a remedy equivalent to the provision made for him by his father Richard in a will dated 23 June 1995, which implemented the promises made to Adam. "On those terms, Adam would acquire a 40-year tenancy of his father's farm and an option to purchase the farm at its probate value. "It came as no surprise to any of the witnesses that Richard promised Adam that he would be able to farm the farm by succession, and that Adam acted in reliance on that promise by dedicating himself to the farm, and by making extraordinary sacrifices in doing so, including the loss of his marriage and the loss of family holidays and other time with his children. "Adam's work enabled the farm to generate a profit, which Richard enjoyed the benefit of and which enabled him to discharge his own expenses, including private school fees for the children he had with Jennifer, as well enabling re-investment in the farm. "It also allowed the farm to function smoothly and with minimal labour costs despite Richard's ongoing health problems, which began as early as 1976." She said the evidence supporting Adam's claim about the promises is "very extensive" and that the judge would need to decide whether his dad going back on them was "unconscionable." "In a case like the present, where decades of work and life-changing decisions have been made in reliance on a promise, the conscience of the court should be shocked," she said. Turning to Richard's mental state when he made the 2016 wills, the barrister said Richard had been diagnosed with a form of dementia in 2011 and had been hardly able to communicate by the time they were signed. "Richard's medical records include clear evidence of his ability to make decisions and to have insight having been eroded by his dementia," she said. "Adam submits that there can be no presumptions in favour of his father's knowledge and approval of the September and December 2016 wills. By this time, his dementia had left him incapable of speaking more than an occasional word. "He sought to communicate in writing and by gestures, but could write no more than a few words or numbers. Jennifer acted as Richard's 'translator,' purporting to explain what he intended to others. "Richard died just over seven years ago. Since that time, the parties have been locked in combat and, despite occasional cessations of hostility, no peace has been achieved. "Nothing could be further from Richard's plan in 1995 that Adam - his 'golden boy' - would carry on with the farming enterprise to which they were both dedicated, and that his other children would be provided for either by rental income or a lump sum paid into the estate in exchange for the farm. "With regret, Adam has to rely upon the court to set right this unconscionable outcome." Mr Troup, representing Jennifer, however told the judge that Richard had good reasons for cutting out Adam. He said that, in September 2013, Richard's GP, a psychiatrist, the police and two nurses had visited Pear Tree Farm with a view to sectioning him under the Mental Health Act 1983. "But when they met Richard, they formed the view that he had capacity and therefore did not section him," he said. "A freedom of information request by Jennifer revealed that this visit was prompted by Adam, who had represented to social services that Richard had lost capacity. "In July 2015, Adam alleged to social services that Richard was beating Jennifer and the children. That led to an investigation by social services, which was eventually closed, but the children were placed on a safeguarding register, which they found upsetting. Richard was angry with Adam for reporting him to social services and their relationship deteriorated as a result. "On 22 April 2016, Adam attended the registry office and alleged that Richard lacked capacity to marry. That led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, all of whom were satisfied that he did have capacity to marry. The wedding therefore went ahead. "Richard was a short-tempered, authoritarian father who expected his children to work hard on the farm and would brook no dissent. He is variously described by his children as 'controlling, manipulative and unpredictable'.....He was capable of falling out with his children." In relation to the proprietory estoppel claim, the barrister told the judge that Adam had already been handed land and property worth over £10m by his father before he died. "It is clear that Richard wanted his children to benefit from the fruits of his labours, and in that regard he treated Jennifer's children on an equal footing with the children of his first marriage," he said. "Adam worked on the farm for his father, and in the later years he did so to a greater extent than his siblings, but he was aware of Richard's mercurial character. "He knew that Richard had five other children by his first marriage, and seven children by Jennifer, all of whom had an expectation of inheritance. "Adam was rewarded for his work, including by Richard making lifetime gifts to him of substantial parcels of land, which have proved to be extremely valuable. "Adam relies on a number of alleged statements made by Richard as assurances. Any statements made by Richard in Adam's early years were not sufficiently clear statements intended to be taken seriously. Adam himself states that 'when I was young it was just a hope…' "Richard was an inherently unreliable character, whose track record was of breaking promises," the barrister concluded.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Yahoo
Woman Cancels Family Fourth of July Celebration After Sister Refuses to ‘Keep an Eye' on Her Son Around Pool
A woman stepped back from hosting on the Fourth of July after her nephew repeatedly threw objects, including electronics and plants, into their pool Her sister, the boy's mother, refused to supervise more closely and suggested a pool fence, sparking a major disagreement Now that the family has defaulted to meeting at a public park instead, her sister claims they're being unfairly excludedA woman is turning to Reddit for support after a family dispute left her sister and nephew excluded from a Fourth of July celebration. Hosting family events has become her new normal ever since the poster's parents sold their house and moved, but this time, things have taken a complicated turn. While the woman and her husband "don't mind" their new role as go-to hosts, tensions have risen with her sister. The poster explains that her sister's 13-year-old son with autism "is absolutely fascinated with dropping things in water," especially in their pool. 'He will just grab anything he can find, sneak over to the pool, and lay down on his stomach so he can drop whatever in the pool and watch it float or sink to the bottom,' she shares. After the first incident, when her nephew dropped a mix of harmless items and a book into the pool, the poster and her husband tried to find a solution. To help, they provided him with 'a big bucket full of pool toys and balls' to keep by the pool. However, she admits, 'It didn't really work though because he gets bored with those things and will sneak all sorts of things from the yard or house into the pool.' So, the woman asked her sister "to keep a better eye on him," but instead, the sister suggested they install "a pool fence." However, the couple feels that it would be "unnecessary and inconvenient" as they "don't have anyone with small children over." She also clarified that their yard is 'enclosed completely with an 8ft tall fence, locked gates, and the pool is usually always covered, but obviously not during a party" when people are swimming. She explains, 'He and this issue would literally be the only reason to have a pool fence and he doesn't visit often to begin with.' While the sister "seemed annoyed/offended" with the poster's request, she agreed that she or her husband would keep an eye on the teen the next time around. However, things came to a head during a Labor Day gathering. The poster claimed her sister "purposefully kept less of an eye on him out of spite because all sorts of stuff ended up in the pool.' The list included pens, soda cans, a potted cactus, a shovel, books, a BBQ scraper, a game controller and even a roll of paper towels. Frustrated, 'I'll admit it I got a little heated with her later about the whole thing,' the woman writes. Her sister, however, shifted the blame back, once again insisting they need to get a pool fence. "It turned into an argument about us being ridiculous for saying it was an inconvenience for us to have a pool fence and how we don't know what an inconvenience even is," the woman writes. "That we don't get how it's not reasonable to expect them to be able to watch him every second." The argument ended with her sister saying they "shouldn't even host if we're going to be bad hosts and not make accommodations for our guests.' This exchange left a lingering tension between the sisters. When the family group chat began discussing Fourth of July plans, everyone assumed the poster and her husband would host as usual. But, she didn't "want to have to deal with the pool issue again and told everyone we wouldn't be able to host because we couldn't accommodate everyone.' She acknowledges that her message was 'admittedly a little snarky,' but no one else knew about the previous argument aside from her sister. With her home off the table, someone else suggested meeting at the park. Her sister objected, saying, 'Her son can't handle crowded spaces and the park has a lot of people during the fourth.' The rest of the family struggled to find an alternative, as 'no one else can host.' Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the sister was privately messaging other family members, "complaining to everyone privately about us actually not hosting because of her son." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Still, with nowhere else to go, in the end, "everyone decided on the group chat to go to the park. Kind of more to just go on their own and maybe we'll see each other or meet up.' 'Now my sister is upset about everyone choosing to go to the park even though they can't go and we started it and set the tone for everyone to think it was okay to exclude them," the poster writes, turning to Reddit to see if she was in the wrong. Read the original article on People
Khaleej Times
10-07-2025
- Khaleej Times
Sharjah: Indian woman allegedly ends life after killing baby, social worker says
A 21-year-old Indian woman from Kollam, Kerala, is reported to have died by suicide after allegedly taking the life of her one-year-and-five-month-old baby in Sharjah, according to a social worker familiar with the case. Social workers told Khaleej Times on Thursday that the woman, who moved to the UAE around two years ago with her husband, had been living separately for the past few months due to ongoing family disputes. 'The couple got married around three years ago in Kerala and moved to the UAE shortly after their wedding. Both were working here but were not happy in their relationship,' said Kamampalam. The relationship between the couple had been strained for some time, with frequent arguments and disagreements over family-related matters. The issues escalated to a point where they decided to live apart. 'A legal case had also been filed by the husband through a lawyer, and a notice had been sent to the woman,' added Kamampalam. Social workers said that authorities discovered the bodies of the mother and child on Tuesday. Details of how the incident occurred are still under investigation, and the exact circumstances leading to the tragic deaths have not yet been officially confirmed. The bodies of both the mother and the baby are currently with the authorities, who are carrying out a detailed investigation into the matter. The community is in shock over the incident. 'We urge families facing domestic issues to seek help through counselling and legal support,' said Kamampalam.
