by Lawsuit filed by 98 year-old Allan A. Ash against Geoffrey Richards has been dismissed.
Ash v. Richards: Case Summary
In the fall of 2012, Allan Ash initiated yet another lawsuit, this one against his grandson, Geoffrey Richards. Less than a year later, the District Court Judge presiding over the lawsuit dismissed the case. In its 10 page ruling in favor of Mr. Richards, the Court expressed skepticism regarding the allegations made by the nonagenarian (see law.justia.com for the opinion). On appeal, the Second Circuit remanded the case to the District Court for further evidentiary findings. The case subsequently was dismissed with prejudice.
Ash v. Richards: Court Reasoning
Cutting through Ash’s contentions, the Court observed that “[A]t least a portion of the $950,000 was a gift to Richards”. As for the remainder of the $950,000 check with the word “gift” written on the memo line, the Court also sided with Richards in his dismissal motion. According to Ash, “$200,000 was to serve as compensation for services that Richards would render in New York to help manage Ash’s estate and funeral affairs.” Getting to the crux of the matter – that this lawsuit appears to have been fueled by an ulterior motive – the Court was “not persuaded” by Ash’s argument as to this portion of the gift, either. Stating that “Ash was the party who changed his mind,” the Court concluded that “Ash does not allege that Richards ever refused to provide the promised services, nor does he identify any such refusal as the reason he currently seeks repayment.”
What must have surprised Ash and those who were likely driving the shakedown lawsuit behind the scenes is that it had no impact on Richards. All of the professional and philanthropic organizations Richards has been involved with were seemingly unfazed. He remained a member of the board of UNICEF Midwest Chapter, the Board of Trustees of the Turnaround Management Association, Chairman of The Hill School Legal Committee, an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law and a partner at William Blair & Company until moving into a larger role at Canaccord Genuity Inc.
