Businessman Sued His 85-Year-Old Father for His Share of a Jointly Bought Farm

Photo byAdryan RAonUnsplash

The wise saying “never do business with family and friends” rings true for one British family as a legal battle for a $2.8 million family farm has a 56-year-old son and his 85-year-old father locked in a bitter fight before the courts as the son wants the court to grant him half of the farm. Nonetheless, relations between Sean Preson and his parents, Ivan and Wendy, weren’t always frosty. The family once had warm ties with one another, but when Sean and his parents decided to jointly purchase a farm one Sunday afternoon while at a pub, things took a turn when Preson and his family moved into the farm and became neighbors with his parents.

However, according to Sean, the relationship between his family and his parents was so poor within five years of living on the same farm that he claimed his father threatened to kick out his wife Janina and their two children and make them homeless while he was away for business.

However, Ivan and Wendy, Sean’s parents, claim that, on the contrary, their son and his wife allegedly treated them terribly and only made the threat to stop the persecution meted out to them by Janina. Nevertheless, while the case is currently at the high court, Sean claims he and his parents jointly bought the farm and that they all contributed the same amount to the purchase of the farm. Despite that, Sean claims he only owns 28 percent of the $2.8 million farm on paper.

When Sean explained the situation to the judge, he told the court,

“I had a very good relationship with my mother and my father. They were self-made people. I used to talk to them a lot about business deals. I was close to my mother. We never had any real problem until we bought the farm in 2003. Then things started to change. I pulled out of a deal to buy a farm by myself when my dad became gravely ill so I could be there for them in their later lives.”

On the other hand, Ivan refused his son’s account of the agreement they made back that Sunday afternoon at the pub and said the documents in his name, which reveal he owns more than 70% of the farm, reflect the authenticity of his share of the family farm. However, Ivan, who his other two children also support, claimed he had the entirety of his stake in a trust he intended to be shared equally by all his children as an inheritance.

Nevertheless, the court will decide whether Sean would be allowed to own half of the property or whether Ivan would keep his majority stake in the farm. It’s unfortunate that a judge has to deliberate and make a decision based not on evidence but on the credibility of Sean and his parents and whoever’s word the judge believes will ultimately determine the final verdict. But, as hope for reconciliation between Sean and his parents remains poor and unlikely, perhaps the lesson from this family’s unfortunate turn of events is to never go into business with loved ones.