Coolmore boss John Magnier delivered two brown envelopes containing €50,000 in cash to Richard Thomson-Moore because he was resisting Maurice Regan’s bids for Barne Estate, he told the High Court on Thursday.
Mr Magnier, in the witness box for the third day in a row, outlined three reasons for giving Mr Thomson-Moore the cash on 7 October 2023.
Number one, he said, was that Coolmore was being allowed in to farm the land at Barne Estate before the sale was completed.
Number two, he said, was because Richard Thomson-Moore was “resisting Regan’s bid” and was going to “stay honourable”.
The third reason was because “John said they were strapped for cash”, referring to auctioneer John Stokes.
Martin Hayden, counsel for Richard Thomson-Moore, said the cash, delivered to Barne by John Magnier and his son JP (John Paul), and handed to John Stokes who went into the house to give it to Mr Thomson-Moore, came as a surprise to the Thomson-Moores.
Mr Magnier disputed that the €50,000 was unexpected, telling the court that John Stokes had advised him to divide the money in two.
John Stokes, the Coolmore boss said, returned the cash to his son JP on the following Monday, 11 October 2023.
"I knew the game was up then," Mr Magnier said, referring to the money being returned.
Exclusive
Much of the day’s focus was on the events and details of the exclusivity agreement drafted by the Coolmore side and signed by the Thomson-Moores and Barne Estate trustees.
Magnier described the agreement as “being brought on by your friend Mr Regan’s attitude”, addressing Martin Hayden, counsel for Richard Thomson-Moore, Barne Estate Ltd and associated Jersey companies.
Phone call
On Wednesday the court heard details of a phone call between David Wachman, John Magnier’s son-in-law, and US construction magnate Maurice Regan on 29 August 2023.
During that call, the court heard, Mr Regan told Mr Wachman he was going to bid €5m more for Barne Estate than John Magnier had agreed to pay. Mr Magnier was in the car with Mr Wachman during that call, listening to the call on loudspeaker.
Following that call, the Coolmore team drafted in Eugene McCague, a former managing partner in legal firm Arthur Cox, for legal advice on an exclusivity agreement.
Mr Hayden repeatedly probed Mr Magnier on why he did not challenge the language of the exclusivity agreement the Coolmore team had drafted, pointing out that, rather than proving that there was a binding agreement on 22 August 2023 between Mr Magnier and Richard Thomson-Moore, it proved to be “diametrically opposite”.
Responding, Mr Magnier said the details of the exclusivity agreement were “above my pay grade” and he would not be involved or aware of the “mechanics” of the agreement.
However, Mr Hayden pointed out that a WhatsApp message included a photograph of the exclusivity agreement, with John Magnier’s handwritten notes on it.
John Magnier told the court that he regularly read materials given to him late at night and would make notes and take photos of the document with notes on. He said he would then tear up the document.
“I do it every night religiously,” Mr Magnier said.
Of the exclusivity agreement, Mr Magnier said he “read the bits I thought relevant probably”, adding: “At that hour of the night, I wouldn’t spend a half hour reading it.”
Mr Magnier’s court action against Richard Thomson-Moore is based on the claim that Thomson-Moore breached the exclusivity agreement by entertaining bids from Maurice Regan for Barne Estate.
'Liar'
Another source of dispute in the case is whether or not Anna Thomson-Moore, wife of Richard Thomson-Moore and a solicitor, on the night of the purported deal told the Coolmore team of John Magnier, Susan Magnier and Joe Holohan - the Coolmore farm manager - that any agreement to sell Barne Estate was subject to approval by the Barne trustees, who were not present on the night.
John Magnier told the court that the only mention of the trustees on the night of 22 August 2023 was by auctioneer John Stokes.
Mr Magnier alleged that John Stokes told him that “he was going out to ring them”, referring to the trustees.
It’s not for me to call anyone a liar
When Martin Hayden, counsel for the Richard Thomson-Moore, Barne Estate Ltd and associated Jersey companies, put it to Mr Magnier that Anna Thomson-Moore’s evidence would be that she specifically mentioned on multiple separate occasions on the night that the trustees’ approval was needed, Mr Magnier responded that Mrs Thompson-Moore “didn’t speak at all, that’s the sad thing about it”.
Asked by Mr Hayden if he was calling Mrs Thompson-Moore a liar, Mr Magnier said: “It’s not for me to call anyone a liar”, but added: “She did not speak.”
John Magnier repeated his assertion that had any conditions such as trustee approval been required on the night, he would not have done a deal and he would not have left the €15m offer for Barne Estate on the table.
“On the night, John Stokes told me he was going to ring the sister [Richard Thomson-Moore’s sister Alexandra] and the trustees,” Mr Magnier told the court.
Mr Hayden challenged this, saying: “John Stokes says this didn’t happen.”
“I was two foot away from him, I couldn’t be mistaken,” Mr Magnier insisted, adding that the €15m deal to buy Barne Estate “wasn’t subject to anything, only subject to us giving a job to the [farm] manager and they [the Thomson-Moores] staying on in the house.”
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Coolmore boss John Magnier delivered two brown envelopes containing €50,000 in cash to Richard Thomson-Moore because he was resisting Maurice Regan’s bids for Barne Estate, he told the High Court on Thursday.
Mr Magnier, in the witness box for the third day in a row, outlined three reasons for giving Mr Thomson-Moore the cash on 7 October 2023.
Number one, he said, was that Coolmore was being allowed in to farm the land at Barne Estate before the sale was completed.
Number two, he said, was because Richard Thomson-Moore was “resisting Regan’s bid” and was going to “stay honourable”.
The third reason was because “John said they were strapped for cash”, referring to auctioneer John Stokes.
Martin Hayden, counsel for Richard Thomson-Moore, said the cash, delivered to Barne by John Magnier and his son JP (John Paul), and handed to John Stokes who went into the house to give it to Mr Thomson-Moore, came as a surprise to the Thomson-Moores.
Mr Magnier disputed that the €50,000 was unexpected, telling the court that John Stokes had advised him to divide the money in two.
John Stokes, the Coolmore boss said, returned the cash to his son JP on the following Monday, 11 October 2023.
"I knew the game was up then," Mr Magnier said, referring to the money being returned.
Exclusive
Much of the day’s focus was on the events and details of the exclusivity agreement drafted by the Coolmore side and signed by the Thomson-Moores and Barne Estate trustees.
Magnier described the agreement as “being brought on by your friend Mr Regan’s attitude”, addressing Martin Hayden, counsel for Richard Thomson-Moore, Barne Estate Ltd and associated Jersey companies.
Phone call
On Wednesday the court heard details of a phone call between David Wachman, John Magnier’s son-in-law, and US construction magnate Maurice Regan on 29 August 2023.
During that call, the court heard, Mr Regan told Mr Wachman he was going to bid €5m more for Barne Estate than John Magnier had agreed to pay. Mr Magnier was in the car with Mr Wachman during that call, listening to the call on loudspeaker.
Following that call, the Coolmore team drafted in Eugene McCague, a former managing partner in legal firm Arthur Cox, for legal advice on an exclusivity agreement.
Mr Hayden repeatedly probed Mr Magnier on why he did not challenge the language of the exclusivity agreement the Coolmore team had drafted, pointing out that, rather than proving that there was a binding agreement on 22 August 2023 between Mr Magnier and Richard Thomson-Moore, it proved to be “diametrically opposite”.
Responding, Mr Magnier said the details of the exclusivity agreement were “above my pay grade” and he would not be involved or aware of the “mechanics” of the agreement.
However, Mr Hayden pointed out that a WhatsApp message included a photograph of the exclusivity agreement, with John Magnier’s handwritten notes on it.
John Magnier told the court that he regularly read materials given to him late at night and would make notes and take photos of the document with notes on. He said he would then tear up the document.
“I do it every night religiously,” Mr Magnier said.
Of the exclusivity agreement, Mr Magnier said he “read the bits I thought relevant probably”, adding: “At that hour of the night, I wouldn’t spend a half hour reading it.”
Mr Magnier’s court action against Richard Thomson-Moore is based on the claim that Thomson-Moore breached the exclusivity agreement by entertaining bids from Maurice Regan for Barne Estate.
'Liar'
Another source of dispute in the case is whether or not Anna Thomson-Moore, wife of Richard Thomson-Moore and a solicitor, on the night of the purported deal told the Coolmore team of John Magnier, Susan Magnier and Joe Holohan - the Coolmore farm manager - that any agreement to sell Barne Estate was subject to approval by the Barne trustees, who were not present on the night.
John Magnier told the court that the only mention of the trustees on the night of 22 August 2023 was by auctioneer John Stokes.
Mr Magnier alleged that John Stokes told him that “he was going out to ring them”, referring to the trustees.
It’s not for me to call anyone a liar
When Martin Hayden, counsel for the Richard Thomson-Moore, Barne Estate Ltd and associated Jersey companies, put it to Mr Magnier that Anna Thomson-Moore’s evidence would be that she specifically mentioned on multiple separate occasions on the night that the trustees’ approval was needed, Mr Magnier responded that Mrs Thompson-Moore “didn’t speak at all, that’s the sad thing about it”.
Asked by Mr Hayden if he was calling Mrs Thompson-Moore a liar, Mr Magnier said: “It’s not for me to call anyone a liar”, but added: “She did not speak.”
John Magnier repeated his assertion that had any conditions such as trustee approval been required on the night, he would not have done a deal and he would not have left the €15m offer for Barne Estate on the table.
“On the night, John Stokes told me he was going to ring the sister [Richard Thomson-Moore’s sister Alexandra] and the trustees,” Mr Magnier told the court.
Mr Hayden challenged this, saying: “John Stokes says this didn’t happen.”
“I was two foot away from him, I couldn’t be mistaken,” Mr Magnier insisted, adding that the €15m deal to buy Barne Estate “wasn’t subject to anything, only subject to us giving a job to the [farm] manager and they [the Thomson-Moores] staying on in the house.”
Read more
'I’m not sure how much land I have' – John Magnier
Billionaire Regan wanted to ‘depress’ Barne value and land prices – Magnier
‘We all shook hands’ – John Magnier takes the stand on sale of Barne Estate
Magnier didn’t come to court ‘to be slaughtered’, High Court told
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