A bitter battle between the two children of a restaurant owner who left behind a multi-million dollar empire after dying of brain cancer has been decided in favor of the son.
Amy Chant built the Chat Thai restaurant chain from a single location in Darlinghurst in Sydney’s CBD 35 years ago to eight locations across the city when she died in 2021.
Mrs Chant, who was hailed as the ‘Queen of Thailand’, left two wills – one drawn up in New South Wales and the other in Thailand – in which she divided her empire between her children Palisa Anderson and Pat Laoyont.
However, the two siblings have been embroiled in a bitter court battle over the past two years over whether their mother, due to her illness, can execute the Thai will.
Under both wills, Palisa received a share in the ownership of a farm near Byron Bay and a plot of land in Mosman on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, while Pat received property in Thailand.
The NSWs split the shares of the restaurant chain’s parent company, the CT Group, equally between the two brothers, with Pat getting the Chat Thai CBD restaurant.
However, the Thai will gave Pat all the shares in the parent company of the restaurant chain, in addition to the rest of the estate.
The feud ended in the Supreme Court, where Palisa appealed a ruling in her brother’s favor.
Amy Chant (pictured) built the Chat Thai restaurant chain from a single branch in Darlinghurst in Sydney’s CBD 35 years ago to eight locations across the city when she died in 2021.
Mrs Chant, who was hailed as the ‘Queen of Thailand’, left two wills – one written in NSW and the other in Thailand – dividing her empire between her children Palisa Anderson (pictured) and Pat Laoyont
The court heard the two siblings disagreed over the running of the Chat Thai business, a fact that caused concern to their mother.
However, Amy’s brother Bob told the court that the making of the Thai will was partly a response to a lack of “trust” in her daughter’s son-in-law, Matthew Anderson.
“I trusted Pat,” Bob said, Amy said, the verdict said.
“He will run this company the same way I want him to. I also wanted him to take care of my estate that I planned to leave to my grandchildren. [referring to Palisa’s children] once they’re adults. I don’t trust Matt.’
The court heard that this sentiment was shared by a Thai lawyer who was responsible for drafting the new will and who also testified at the hearing.
The lawyer told the court that he asked Amy why she wanted to change her will and she replied: ‘I believe he [referring to her daughter’s husband] wants to take control of all my affairs’.
Palisa had argued that her mother was acting “absent-minded” around the time she changed the will.
The Chat Thai business has grown from one restaurant to a chain across Sydney
Palisa had argued that her mother was acting “absent-minded” around the time she changed the will (pictured: mother and daughter together)
However, the Court of Appeal upheld the original verdict, finding that Ms Chant had a “clear understanding” of what she was doing.
“Amy was a successful businesswoman,” the ruling said.
‘She believed that her daughter was successful in her own right and, based on the evidence accepted by the chief judge, 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 matter of taste or even cultural or personal bias: the primary judge referred to Matt’s candid agreement that “in late 2019 he had formed the view that the Chat Thai business model was outdated, ineffective and unproductive and that he had raised these matters with Amy”. Amy disagreed.’
The appeal was denied, meaning Pat will inherit the majority of the estate.
