Wildcat Haven Enterprises CIC is dissolved
Regular readers will recall the defamation case brought against me in 2017 by Wildcat Haven Enterprises CIC (WHE) seeking damages of £750,000.
The latest news for those of you who kindly contributed to my crowdfunder is that WHE has now been dissolved following liquidation with debts of £89,272. This includes £60,000 owed to me in costs awarded by the Court.
The only asset that was realised was the 4ha of land from which WHE sold souvenir plots. It was sold to Scottish Highlands Ltd., a company controlled by Douglas Wilson and Laura Bevis, for £12,500. Scottish Highland Ltd took over the ownership of the wider Patna Green site from Highland Titles in May 2024. I will be blogging further on the demise of Highland Titles and where this leaves the thousands of souvenir plot holders.
I can reveal that the defamation case was bankrolled by Highland Titles with its Director, Douglas Wilson putting up a £110,000 bond of caution ordered by the Court of Session. This was admitted in Court by Paul O’Donoghue, a Director of WHE who was representing the company in the proceedings.
The case cost me £200,915 and I raised just under £170,000 from a crowdfunder. Legal cost included £76,740 for KC, £77,906 for the instructing solicitor and £26,779 for court solicitors. Thus legal costs made up bulk of costs – £181,426.
Other costs include court auditor (£9402), Law Cost Accountant (£6525) and witness expenses of 5 days loss of earnings due to court delays (£2520) plus miscellaneous costs including court fees and other expenses.
In the end I won the case. I was awarded £170,000 in expenses with actual expenses marked down but made up by the successful application of various statutory uplifts.
The bond of caution covered £110,000 of this leaving £60,000 still owing from the pursuer, Wildcat Haven Enterprises CIC
The upshot of all of this is that I am not going to get my £60,000 and those who kindly contributed to my crowdfunder will receive no further refund beyond the partial one issued in 2022.
The moral of this tale?
- try to avoid being sued because it costs you even if you win.
- legal actions only ever end up providing work for lawyers.
- but do not settle if you can afford not to and believe you are in the right. Had I settled, I would have been sequestrated as I had very little by way of assets (and have never owned property precisely because of the risk of being sued). Sequestration would have meant vacating my seat in the Scottish Parliament due to provisions in the Scotland Act.
- Don’t have anything to do with Paul and Emily O’Donoghue, Peter Bevis, Douglas Wilson, Emily Bevis, Highland Titles Ltd, Scottish Highlands Ltd., Highland Titles OÜ or any businesses associated with them.
What a bunch of crooks.
Landlords are also adept at dragging tenants through the courts and forcing them to spend 6 figure sums to defend themselves.
Scotgov follows the same approach
Just make sure that we all know when you need backup. Our nation is wallowing in sh*t..it’s all around us. And now our land is being used by foreign nations to attack their enemies….this all devolved to the foreign english. ( a clever ploy by foreign england that means we are forbidden to control anything important). ……So land usage…Our land… being abused again by foreigners. The Scottish. government..?..zzzzzzzzzz… The Scottish nation relying on one warrior to fight for Scotland’s land. Shame on Holyrood.
Thank you for your steadfast courage.
Heard what God said about Scotland? When he heard all the complaints that Scotland had been given too much..beautiful land wonderful resources and brilliant people..He thought for a moment and then said with a grin…..’Ah but wait till you see the neighbours I gave them….’
What a great entry Catherine
Andy- so wrong you did not get compensation you deserve
Thanksfor the tremendous work you do
Thanks Andy. It will have been a stressful difficult time for you. Appreciate no money back. That’s fine. It’s done it’s work. I hope you’re not out of pocket.
We need some legal changes to prevent such miss use of the law.
Thanks. There are plans to deal with much of this through a new law on SLAPPs https://consult.gov.scot/justice/strategic-lawsuits-against-public-participation/
Sorry to hear that Andy. The system is obviously corrupt and has been forever. Thank you for not giving up when I am sure it will have been easier to do so. If you ever need help with a crowdfunder in the future I would be happy to support you.
When the wealthy can threaten those who dare to criticise them with impoverishment, loss of home, loss of employment and untold stress and axiety, on a mere whim, then hide from their obligation to make good a fraction of the damage they have caused, something is very wrong with our legal system.
The fancy lawyer and fancy corporate ownership structures have long been the tools of cowardly social parasites who never miss an opportunity for a hand-out, state subsidy, loop-hole, benefit claim or any other kind of lazy, unearned income.
In my opinion.
Thanks Andy for all the great work you’ve done over a long time, and for the shit you’ve taken from so many people and outfits. (I’m thinking here not only of land, though that’s my primary interest. I’m also including the differences you upheld with the Scottish Parliamentary Green Party and SNP in government over gender-choice…).
I just have a question about the Wildcat Haven Enterpises (WHE) CIC which pursued you in court, but thankfully lost its case. Do you know whether WHE was established solely in order to create and pursue the legal claim against you?
Brian, thanks. WHE was established with technical and financial support from Highland Titles to raise funds for Wildcat Haven CIC by sellign souvenir plots from a 4ha site donated by Highland Titles who also undertook all the admin on their behalf. It was established in June 2015 to do so. it was only after its establishment that I took an interest in its activites and it then decided to sue me.
Very brave of you Andy and well done for all your struggles. It’s very difficult to investigate outfits like this, know things, and try to inform the public, thus leaving yourself wide open to accusations of defamation for simply telling the truth.
Threats of being sued are another way of keeping ordinary, informed people silenced whilst the millionaires and billionaires run riot with our land and legacies.
Thanks, Morag.
Well just as you can’t be a real Highland person unless you have suffered eviction, so we say here in Abriachan, it seems and seemed to me at the time. That this was just a spoiler, the wealth and privilege was alarmed by your tenacity and Honesty, knowledge that you could not be bought even by your own party must have led to the plot to mire you, that’s some consolation I hope, the fear and the spiteful retort, surely the Unspeakable in pursuit of the unbeatable,