A bitter battle between the two children of a restaurateur who left a multi-million-dollar empire after she died from brain cancer has been decided in the son’s favour.
Amy Chant built the Chat Thai restaurant chain from one venue in Darlinghurst in Sydney’s CBD 35 years ago to eight across the city at the time of her death in 2021.
Ms Chant, who was feted as the ‘Queen of Thai’, left two wills – one written in NSW and the other in Thailand – which divided her empire between her children Palisa Anderson and Pat Laoyont.
However, the two siblings have waged a bitter court battle over the past two years about their mother’s capacity to execute the Thai will due to her illness.
Under both wills, Palisa received part ownership of a farm near Byron Bay and a property in Mosman in Sydney’s Lower North Shore, while Pat was given real estate in Thailand.
The NSW’s split shares of the restaurant chain’s parent company, the CT Group, between the two siblings equally, with Pat receiving the Chat Thai CBD restaurant.
However, the Thai will gave Pat all the shares in the restaurant chain’s parent company, in addition to the rest of the estate.
The feud ended up in the Supreme Court, with Palisa appealing a judgement which found in her brother’s favour.
The court heard that the two siblings did not see ‘eye to eye in relation to the operation of the Chat Thai business’, a fact which concerned their mother.
However, Amy’s brother Bob told the court that the creation of the Thai will was partly in response to a lack of ‘trust’ with her daughter’s son-in-law, Matthew Anderson.
‘I trusted Pat,’ Bob reported Amy saying, the judgement noted.
‘He will run this business the same way I want. I also wanted him to look after my estate that I intended to give to my grandchildren [referring to Palisa’s children] once they grow up as adults. I don’t trust Matt.’
The court heard this sentiment was echoed by a Thai lawyer, responsible for drafting the new will, who also gave evidence at the hearing.
The lawyer told the court he had asked Amy why she wanted to change her will and she responded, saying: ‘I believe he [referring to her daughter’s husband] wants to take control of all of my business’.
Palisa had argued that her mother was exhibiting ‘scatter-brained behaviour’ around the time she changed the will.
However, the court of appeal upheld the original judgement, finding that Ms Chant had a ‘clear understanding’ of what she was doing.
‘Amy had been a successful businesswoman,’ the judgement noted.
‘She considered that her daughter was successful in her own right, and, on the evidence which the primary judge accepted, did not want her son in law to have a continuing role in the business.
‘That was her prerogative but it was more than just a question of taste or even cultural or personal prejudice: the primary judge referred to Matt’s candid agreement that, “by the end of 2019, he had formed the view that the Chat Thai business model was outdated, ineffective and unproductive and that he raised those sorts of matters with Amy”. Amy disagreed.’
The appeal was dismissed, meaning Pat will inherit the majority of the estate.