Courts / Tipperary / Report

John Magnier's son-in-law denies 'ruse' and 'low-balling' in Tipperary land case

Date
2025-06-04

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Tipperary

Summary

In a High Court hearing on 4 June 2025, David Wachman, son‑in‑law of John Magnier, denied that Coolmore used a "ruse" by employing third parties to bid on a 751‑acre Tipperary farm before allegedly "low‑balling" the sellers with a €10 million offer. Wachman said it was "common practice" to start bids below a vendor's valuation to control expectations. He explained that Coolmore had an exclusivity agreement from 31 August to 30 September 2023, during which the Barne Estate could not solicit offers from anyone other than Coolmore. The estate, held by a Jersey trust for Richard Thomson‑Moore, rejected the alleged deal and sold the land to US construction magnate Maurice Regan for €22.25 million. Regan is not a party to the case. The hearing continues before Mr Justice Max Barrett.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: John Magnier's son-in-law denies 'ruse' and 'low-balling' in Tipperary land case. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

August 22, 2023 Other
August 31 Other
September 30 Other
July 2023 Other
2025-06-04 Publication

Why: Mr Wachman told counsel that it was inconsistent with the land-price suppression claim because Mr Regan "had a bee in his bonnet" after learning of the alleged agreement between Barne and the Magnier side. CNI source report