A 72-year-old 'crystal healer' is embroiled in a High Court battle with her millionaire son, alleging he threatened to leave her homeless over disputes involving a Hampshire mansion and loans totalling £1 million.
Family Feud Over Finances
Moya Montgomerie, who practices as a reiki therapist, crystal healer, and 'angel card' reader, claims her son Jason Minns, 55, has spent his adult life exploiting her guilt over divorcing his father when he was a child. She asserts that Mr Minns threatened to put her 'on the streets' and prevented her from seeing her grandchildren while repeatedly asking for money to fund his lifestyle and property investments.
Mr Minns disputes these allegations, with his lawyers branding her a 'serial liar' in court and counterclaiming that she owes him money. Ms Montgomerie is now suing to recover £1 million she claims she lent him and demanding he pay off the mortgage on her £1 million home in Hampshire. The property is legally owned by Mr Minns and his wife Stephanie, but Ms Montgomerie insists her son agreed to transfer it to her as partial repayment of his debts.
Claims and Counterclaims
According to court documents, Ms Montgomerie alleges she lent Mr Minns £500,000 to clear the mortgage on the house before she moved in, in addition to £600,000 in other loans made before 2008. She claims an agreement was reached to sign over the house in exchange for writing off £750,000 of the debt, but Mr Minns subsequently reneged, declaring he would 'see her on the streets' instead.
However, Mr Minns and Stephanie contend that much of the money was a gift and that Ms Montgomerie owes them £310,000. They assert that the house would only be sold to her if she paid this amount. The couple's barrister, Lauren Kreamer, denies any wrongdoing and states that only £40,000 in loans are owed, which should be offset against what Ms Montgomerie owes them.
Background and Allegations
Ms Montgomerie's barrister, Helen Brander, highlighted her client's difficult upbringing, having been raised in poverty by her older brother after losing both parents by age 12. She had her son at 17, but her marriage ended in divorce in the 1980s, with Mr Minns staying with his father. Ms Brander argued that Mr Minns exploited his mother's guilt over the divorce and his upbringing for financial gain throughout his adult life.
Ms Montgomerie claims that when she questioned her son's requests for money, she was shouted at and threatened with being cut off from her grandchildren or evicted from the house, leaving her destitute. This behaviour, she says, cowed her into submission.
Legal Proceedings
During a pre-trial hearing, Judge Richard Smith remarked on the 'awful family background,' noting that the son calls the mother a 'serial liar' and the mother calls the son an 'arch-manipulator.' Ms Montgomerie sought a freezing order to prevent the couple from dissipating assets, but the judge refused, stating there was no real risk of dissipation. The case is set for a full trial unless a settlement is reached.
