Heir who sued father ends up with just £5.60 a year . . . but faces £100,000 legal costs after fourth case over sale of historic estate
- Philip Howard launched a legal battle with father Sir John Howard-Lawson
- The son claimed his father 'stole' his inheritance when he sold the ancient family's castle
- Allegations dismissed but judge awards Mr Howard £5 a year in rent revenue
By Louise Eccles and Rosie Taylor
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An heir who sued his father four times in eight years for selling the family’s £2million estate has been awarded just £5.60 a year by the High Court.
Philip Howard, 51, is involved in a bitter 20-year dispute with his father, Sir John Howard-Lawson, over the sale of 13th-century Corby Castle.
The business consultant launched a fourth legal case against his father earlier this year, claiming he had been swindled out of his rightful inheritance.
But today a judge dismissed 21 of the 22 allegations against Sir John and his former legal advisers, including claims of coercion, fraud, theft and deception.
Family feud: Phillip Howard (left) who sued his father Sir John Lawson-Howard (right) over the sale of the family property Corby Castle in Cumbria, at the High Court today
The Cumbrian castle was bought in 1611 by William Howard, the third son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, who was beheaded for treason under Elizabeth I in 1572.
It passed through ten generations of Howards until Sir John sold it to Northern Irish businessman Edward Haughey for £1.85million in 1994.
Following yesterday’s judgment, Mr Howard was ordered to pay over £100,000 in costs, but in a strange twist was told he had the right to claim £5.60 a year in ground rent from households on the estate.
Mr Howard, who represented himself, glared at his father across the courtroom as he said: ‘You stole the money. You used it to defend yourself. That’s marvellous.’
He claimed his father’s strategy during the hearing had been to ‘diss [disrepect] me personally in every single way he possibly can’.
But Sir John’s barrister Stephen Boyd said Mr Howard had made the latest accusations knowing they would fail, just to put his father ‘through an emotional wringer’.
Widower Sir John, 78, said he was ‘greatly saddened’ that the eldest of his three children had once again brought him before the court.
He told the Mail: ‘I’m relieved by the outcome. It was what I had expected.’
Sir John inherited the Grade I-listed mansion, set in park and farmland on the bank of the River Eden near Carlisle, in 1961.
He said: ‘I often wonder what my ancestors would have made of all this. Our family went through some bad times in the 1800s, but I can’t really tell what they would have made of this.
'I wait with interest until I meet them again.’
Sold for £1.8million: Corby Castle lies on the bank of the River Eden
The sixth baron claims that he was forced to sell the estate after his son used part of it to secure an overdraft on his property business.
But when the enterprise failed and Mr Howard was declared bankrupt, with debts of £1million, Sir John says the rest of the estate became ‘unviable’, adding:
‘The day we sold it was the most appalling day of my life. My family had been there since 1611 – that’s 375 years. It was dreadful.’
Mr Howard began to pursue his father over the sale of the estate just months after the death of Sir John’s wife, Lady (Jean) Howard-Lawson, in 2001.
In 2004 he issued the first legal proceedings, claiming Sir John sold the property in breach of a family trust agreement after mismanaging the estate and accumulating debt. Mr Howard has now vowed to go to The Court of Appeal, saying: ‘I am obviously extremely unhappy.’
Mr Justice Norris said Mr Howard, who is married with a 15-year-old daughter, was ‘now deeply hostile’ towards his father.
Asked if he would ever make peace with his son, Sir John said: ‘It is long beyond that now I think.’
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Deciding to get a loan on property he didn't even own was bad enough, but taking his father to court so many times as well? It was a disgraceful way to behave, so the end result serves him right.
- Michelle , Epsom, 21/11/2012 10:09
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