Gordon Ramsay makes ghost-writing machine claim over York & Albany lease
Gordon Ramsay has claimed that a ghost-writing machine must have been used to sign his name on documents making him the personal guarantor for the £640,000-a-year rent on the York & Albany pub in London.
The details, which emerged in a High Court claim, once again highlighted the fraught relationship between Ramsay and his father-in-law and former chief executive of Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH), Chris Hutcheson.
Ramsay claimed the machine must have been used to sign his name without his knowledge or authorisation, as part of a 2007 property deal for a 25-year lease on the York & Albany in Regent's Park.
However, the owner of the pub, film director Gary Love, called the claim an "absurd" attempt to wriggle out of rental commitments, according to http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ramsay-family-feud-explodes-again-with-chefs-claim-that-ghost-writer-signed-rent-guarantee-8572541.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">The Independent.
Hutcheson was dismissed from GRH in October 2010 for an alleged financial impropriety, but settled out of court with son-in-law Ramsay after agreeing to what is believed to have been a £2m pay-out.
Philip Cohen, from solicitors Jeffrey, Green and Russell, who is representing Love, said: "What he is alleging is most unlikely and extremely serious but he hasn't involved the police, which is what one would expect when crimes are committed."
GRH declined to comment. Chris Hutcheson was unavailable for comment.
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