Australia’s richest girl, Gina Rinehart, tried to “throw” her eldest son “under the bus” when he questioned his inheritance, the WA Supreme Court has heard.
The pressure between Ms Rinehart and her firstborn John Hancock was rising within the early 2000s, as he started to press his mom on why his grandfather Lang Hancock’s dying needs weren’t fulfilled.
The relationship dynamics had been laid naked by Mr Hancock’s lawyer, Christopher Whithers SC, who mentioned his consumer was “extremely financial constrained” on the time, even asking Mrs Rinehart for cash.
“Such was the imbalance of power between him and (Hancock Prospecting) that he had even requested Gina and (Hancock Prospecting) to meet some of his expenses,” Mr Whithers mentioned.
“He didn’t have enough money to buy new brake pads for his car … or to get a service.”
Correspondence revealed in courtroom confirmed Mr Hancock’s lawyer writing to Hancock’s normal counsel to ask Mrs Rinehart to position cash in John’s account as “the wolf was knocking”.
As the tensions grew between the pair, Mr Whithers mentioned Mrs Rinehart had her authorized crew draft a media launch from John’s personal attorneys on the time, which mentioned there had been a “conflict” regarding the “priority of the family’s funds”.
“Gina has been offering him a number of different options. He’s not accepting it,” the draft assertion learn.
“(It is) an endeavour to claim he should have a greater equity interest in the company.”
It was not clarified whether or not the letter was ever despatched to his attorneys.
“They are basically urging John’s solicitor to throw him under the bus and publish this statement,” Mr Whithers informed the courtroom.
“We say this speaks to the power that we say Gina wielded, that a solicitor would do something like this and issue a statement of this kind without their client’s consent.”
Mr Whithers sifted via rafts of letters and paperwork as he continued day 4 of his opening submissions.
Letters he mentioned included many “not so subtle threats” towards the youthful Hancock for persevering with to ask questions concerning the make-up of household trusts and his declare to them, in addition to assertions from Hancock Prospecting that any suggestion that issues weren’t above board was wholly mistaken.
Today’s proceedings mark what is anticipated to be the ultimate day of submissions for Mrs Rinehart’s youngsters, together with her eldest daughter Bianca Rinehart current in courtroom all week as her case towards her mom was laid naked.
Party to the claims towards Hancock Prospecting on this case is the household of Lang Hancock’s former business companion Peter Wright of Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd, and the family-owned DFD Rhodes firm which was based by often-forgotten businessman Don Rhodes.
More than 15,000 paperwork have reportedly been tendered to the courtroom as a part of the mammoth civil case.
The case continues on September 1.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
