Posted on 03/02/2022 10:42:42 PM PST by algore
From a £230 unpaid bill to the loss of a £3m castle
Mrs Van Overwaele had allegedly refused to pay a £230 factor's bill relating to a bridalwear business she owned in Helensburgh in 1997. She claimed the bill had nothing to do with her.
The bill and the subsequent legal costs saw the debt soar to a reported £30,000 and in 2000 Mrs Van Overwaele was sequestrated - the Scottish legal term for being made legally bankrupt.
Her finances were taken over by an insolvency practitioner.
Knockderry Castle
Image caption, The 170-year-old Knockderry Castle is in Cove, Argyll and has been owned by Mrs Van Overwaele since the 1970s
The Belgian family fought the sequestration and mounted various legal actions including claims of assault, theft and destruction of property against an accountant.
Mrs Van Overwaele at points represented herself in court.
In August 2021, the Court of Session refused a "reclaiming motion" against Mrs Van Overwaele and Mr Amil which had ordered the siblings to vacate the castle. They argued their human rights had been breached after the decree had been granted in their absence.
At this stage the court ruling stated that creditors' claims were now in the region of several hundred thousand pounds.
In January this year, Mrs Van Overwaele lost a bid to take her case to the Supreme Court.
line
Mrs van Overwaele had previously transferred ownership to Mr Amil and continued to live at the castle with her brother and his family.
Trustees have been trying to evict the family so that the castle can be sold to pay creditors.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Charles Dickens, Bleak House, Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce comes to mind...
British legal costs are simply obscene.
That pile looks like a whole graduate class of architecs got a project and each one got to do a little piece of the whole.
I can’t even begin to imagine what it costs to heat that sucker.
She fits the old saying “stubborn to a fault”. 😏
It looks like the Hogwarts version of Animal House.
lol
Good one!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.