“I came up here for protection, not to be slaughtered,” Coolmore boss John Magnier told the High Court on Thursday.
He told Martin Hayden SC, acting for Richard Thomson-Moore, Barne Estate Ltd and two Jersey-registered companies, that he felt he had been “very badly treated” when in the witness box on Wednesday.
He accused Mr Hayden of “trying to take my good name”, saying his good name was very important to him and that he relied on it in his business.
“I’m not a solicitor, I’m not a legal person,” he said, detailing how he gets summaries of his business affairs from his staff, including 6,000 broodmares per year and his racehorses.
Corporate structures
He told the court that he had two businesses employing 70,000 to 80,000 employees and he did not understand the corporate structures they involved.
He told the court he gets briefed by staff on matters of importance and described the briefings as “plain and simple, straight”.
Mr Magnier was speaking on his third day in the witness box, in the case he took with his son John Paul Magnier and daughter Katherine Wachman against Mr Thomson-Moore, Barne Estate Ltd and two Jersey-registered companies - IQ EQ One and IQ EQ Two - alleging that the Barne side broke an exclusivity agreement by agreeing to sell the estate to construction magnate Maurice Regan in 2023.
Richard Thomson-Moore pictured arriving at the High Court, Co Dublin. \ Tom Honan
Mr Regan agreed to pay €22.25m for the estate, some €7.5m more than Mr Magnier.
Much of the morning’s cross examination of Mr Magnier again focused on the detail of whether there was a binding agreement in place since Mr Magnier shook hands with Mr Thomson-Moore at Coolmore House on the night of 22 August 2023.
Mr Magnier repeated his assertion that he had a binding deal with Thomson-Moore to buy Barne Estate for €15m, but the option was left to him whether to buy the farm or the company that owned the farm, Barne Estate Ltd.
He also asserted that he believed the trustees of Barne Estate were in agreement with the sale.
I’m not a solicitor, I’m not a legal person
Mr Hayden pressed Mr Magnier repeatedly on several amendments to his statement of claim and Mr Magnier’s affidavit swearing that what his farm manager Joe Holohan, who was also present at Coolmore House on the night of the handshake, had sworn in his affidavit was correct.
The court heard of a WhatsApp group with key Coolmore personnel in it, including John Magnier, David Wachman, Eddie Irwin, Joe Holohan, John Paul Magnier and former managing partner of legal firm Eugene McCague.
David Wachman, John Magnier's son-in-law. \ Caroline Norris
Mr Hayden pressed Mr Magnier on whether he had actually read the exclusivity agreement which Richard Thomson-Moore signed and which Mr Magnier alleges he breached by entertaining offers for a higher bid for Barne Estate of €22.25m.
Mr Hayden put it to Mr Magnier that the document was a “straightforward document which you or your solicitor prepared which doesn’t say you had a binding agreement [with Thomson-Moore]… it says the diametrically opposite thing”.
John Magnier responded by saying the exclusivity agreement was drafted by Coolmore employee Jerome Casey and Coolmore solicitor Joe Fitzpatrick, who were not present at the meeting on the night of 22 August 2023 when he shook hands with Richard Thomson-Moore.
The document, he said, “reflected their work” and they had nothing to do with the detail of the meeting on 22 August 2023.
The purpose of the exclusivity agreement was “to prevent Maurice Regan interfering” with his deal to buy Barne for €15m.
The case before Mr Justice Max Barrett continues on Thursday. Over 20 witnesses are expected to be called during the court proceedings.
Read more
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'I’m not sure how much land I have' – John Magnier
Billionaire Regan wanted to ‘depress’ Barne value and land prices – Magnier
“I came up here for protection, not to be slaughtered,” Coolmore boss John Magnier told the High Court on Thursday.
He told Martin Hayden SC, acting for Richard Thomson-Moore, Barne Estate Ltd and two Jersey-registered companies, that he felt he had been “very badly treated” when in the witness box on Wednesday.
He accused Mr Hayden of “trying to take my good name”, saying his good name was very important to him and that he relied on it in his business.
“I’m not a solicitor, I’m not a legal person,” he said, detailing how he gets summaries of his business affairs from his staff, including 6,000 broodmares per year and his racehorses.
Corporate structures
He told the court that he had two businesses employing 70,000 to 80,000 employees and he did not understand the corporate structures they involved.
He told the court he gets briefed by staff on matters of importance and described the briefings as “plain and simple, straight”.
Mr Magnier was speaking on his third day in the witness box, in the case he took with his son John Paul Magnier and daughter Katherine Wachman against Mr Thomson-Moore, Barne Estate Ltd and two Jersey-registered companies - IQ EQ One and IQ EQ Two - alleging that the Barne side broke an exclusivity agreement by agreeing to sell the estate to construction magnate Maurice Regan in 2023.
Richard Thomson-Moore pictured arriving at the High Court, Co Dublin. \ Tom Honan
Mr Regan agreed to pay €22.25m for the estate, some €7.5m more than Mr Magnier.
Much of the morning’s cross examination of Mr Magnier again focused on the detail of whether there was a binding agreement in place since Mr Magnier shook hands with Mr Thomson-Moore at Coolmore House on the night of 22 August 2023.
Mr Magnier repeated his assertion that he had a binding deal with Thomson-Moore to buy Barne Estate for €15m, but the option was left to him whether to buy the farm or the company that owned the farm, Barne Estate Ltd.
He also asserted that he believed the trustees of Barne Estate were in agreement with the sale.
I’m not a solicitor, I’m not a legal person
Mr Hayden pressed Mr Magnier repeatedly on several amendments to his statement of claim and Mr Magnier’s affidavit swearing that what his farm manager Joe Holohan, who was also present at Coolmore House on the night of the handshake, had sworn in his affidavit was correct.
The court heard of a WhatsApp group with key Coolmore personnel in it, including John Magnier, David Wachman, Eddie Irwin, Joe Holohan, John Paul Magnier and former managing partner of legal firm Eugene McCague.
David Wachman, John Magnier's son-in-law. \ Caroline Norris
Mr Hayden pressed Mr Magnier on whether he had actually read the exclusivity agreement which Richard Thomson-Moore signed and which Mr Magnier alleges he breached by entertaining offers for a higher bid for Barne Estate of €22.25m.
Mr Hayden put it to Mr Magnier that the document was a “straightforward document which you or your solicitor prepared which doesn’t say you had a binding agreement [with Thomson-Moore]… it says the diametrically opposite thing”.
John Magnier responded by saying the exclusivity agreement was drafted by Coolmore employee Jerome Casey and Coolmore solicitor Joe Fitzpatrick, who were not present at the meeting on the night of 22 August 2023 when he shook hands with Richard Thomson-Moore.
The document, he said, “reflected their work” and they had nothing to do with the detail of the meeting on 22 August 2023.
The purpose of the exclusivity agreement was “to prevent Maurice Regan interfering” with his deal to buy Barne for €15m.
The case before Mr Justice Max Barrett continues on Thursday. Over 20 witnesses are expected to be called during the court proceedings.
Read more
‘We all shook hands’ – John Magnier takes stand on sale of Barne Estate
Regan signs €20m-plus sale contract for Barne Estate
'I’m not sure how much land I have' – John Magnier
Billionaire Regan wanted to ‘depress’ Barne value and land prices – Magnier
SHARING OPTIONS