| Billionaire Carlton board member being sued over $8.5m Toorak mansion |
Billionaire Carlton Football Club board member Raphael 'Ruffy' Geminder is being sued over a bitter dispute involving a luxury Toorak mansion, chandeliers and handwoven art.
Mr Geminder has been accused of reneging on a deal to buy Towart Lodge – a five-bedroom Toorak Road mansion with mahogany walls, marble bathrooms, cinema, pool and a wine cellar capable of holding more than 1000 bottles – for $8.5 million.
Mr Geminder and his wife, Fiona, the youngest daughter of the late cardboard king Richard Pratt, had been paying $8000 a week to rent Towart Lodge from the owners, Amanda and Warren Thompson, from January 2013 while they renovated their historic mansion, Thanes, in Kooyong.
The renovations at Thanes reportedly included at least three swimming pools, a separate wing for their four children, a 12-car garage and car wash.
In her statement of claim obtained by Fairfax Media on Wednesday, Mrs Thompson alleged the NAB reneged on an agreement to allow her to sell Towart Lodge to a company controlled by Mr Geminder, with the $8.5 million to be paid to the bank to clear the Thompsons' debts.
The Thompsons had owed the NAB close to $10 million by July 2013 after defaulting on their loan almost a year after Mr Thompson, a property developer, had been declared bankrupt.
The deal with Mr Geminder would have allegedly given Mrs Thompson an "option" to repurchase the property for the same price at the end of the two-year lease term.
But Mrs Thompson said Mr Geminder also pulled out of the $8.5 million deal for no reason, causing her to suffer loss and damage.
She said the Thompsons had left behind chandeliers and works of handwoven art valued at $288,000 when they moved out of Towart Lodge, which Mr Geminder had failed to return.
"The fact that Mrs Thompson was refused entry into the Toorak property to supervise the collection of some of her possessions has left her feeling extremely hurt, humiliated and betrayed by Mr Geminder, especially as she had once considered the Geminders as her friends," the statement of claim filed with the Supreme Court by Mrs Thompson's lawyers said.
"The fact that Mrs Thompson has been denied possession of the chattels has left her suffering from feelings of low mood, anger, and at times feeling very miserable. Mrs Thompson feels less motivated and her family life has suffered. Mrs Thompson has also recurring dreams where she is in the Toorak property without permission and she is fearful of being discovered."
Mrs Thompson, who is suing the NAB, Mr Geminder and Geminder Holdings for damages, claimed she felt pain, hurt and humiliation every day she passed Towart Lodge when driving her children to school.
Giving evidence on Wednesday during the civil trial before Justice Tim Ginnane, Mr Thompson claimed Mrs Geminder told him about a Pratt Christmas dinner party in 2012 where she was sitting next to the NAB's national head of credit.
Mr Thompson said Mrs Geminder told him she asked the banker if "our little deal with the Thompsons" was going to be OK and he had confirmed it was all about to happen.
Mr Thompson claimed when he had earlier told Mr Geminder that the bank's initial reaction to the refinancing idea had not been good, Mr Geminder suggested he use his name during the negotiations because his companies had $300 million deposited with the NAB.
Mr Geminder has denied all of Mrs Thompson's claims, but agreed he did discuss buying Towart Lodge for $8.5 million although no agreement was ever signed.
The civil trial continues.
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