The owner of a Grade II* listed hotel is facing a High Court battle with a building company owed more than £200,000. The dispute between Plymouth construction firm boss Keith Elliott and "jean queen" fashion designer Donna Ida Thornton is expected to play out in front of a judge within weeks.
The High Court's Technology and Construction Court division will consider the enforcement of a previous adjudication in which Keith Elliott Construction Ltd was awarded £230,000 after taking Langdon Court Manor Ltd to court over unpaid bills.
PlymouthLive has seen a document in which Ms Thornton said she intends to defend the claim, though a spokesperson for the Langdon Court Manor owner said she "can't confirm or deny" this and declined to comment further on the court action.
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Mr Elliott said he anticipates the online hearing will "rubber stamp" the award but his lawyers will ask for "an uplift in costs" which, if granted, could mean Langdon Court Manor, located at Down Thomas, near Plymouth, paying even more.
Mr Elliott said he also wants Ms Thornton to explain her company's finances in court. He told PlymouthLive: "An option once a judgement is served would be to ask the court to instruct Ms Thornton to attend the court and answer questions about the company's finances."
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The dispute dates from 2022 after Langdon Court Manor hired Keith Elliot Construction to carry out a major refit shortly after Ms Thornton and her restaurateur husband Robert Walton bought the 16th Century Jacobean manor for a reported £1.2m in 2021. The contract was worth £783,000 and the building firm was being paid until it left the project in December 2022.
Mr Elliott, 42, said his firm exited by "mutual consent" after the job "went brilliantly", but was still owed a sum greater than £230,000. When it was not paid he sought an adjudication - a process designed to resolve construction contract disputes more quickly than through arbitration or litigation.
That awarded his firm £230,000, and dismissed a counter claim from Langdon Court for about £280,000. But when he was still not paid he submitted papers to the High Court. Mr Elliott said that if the adjudication is upheld and the sum is then not paid, Keith Elliot Construction could send in bailiffs or even order the closure of the Down Thomas hotel via a winding up order on the company running it. He said: "If that then shuts them down, it shuts them down."
Keith Elliot Construction has worked with some of Plymouth's leading companies. Plymouth Live has seen endorsements from Plymouth Citybus, Interfish Ltd, YMCA Plymouth, China Fleet Club and Trusted Contractors Network.
Mr Elliott said he was only able to pursue the case against Langdon Court Manor because his firm was on such a strong financial footing. He said he has received a huge amount of messages from the public since knowledge of the legal dispute hit the news.
He said: "I have been blown away with the public support, I really appreciate it. I have had hundreds of messages from strangers wishing me luck."
Ms Thornton, 50, is founder of London's Donna Ida fashion brand and has counted Amanda Holden and Jodie Kidd among her fans. With Mr Walton, aged 67, they bought Langdon Court after it had been closed for 18 months and told PlymouthLive in 2021 they aimed to reopen it as a "top level" venue.
In 2021 she told PlymouthLive she planned to renovate and re-style the venue with fabrics and textures in a "neutral colour palette" while her husband aimed to bring in "up-and-coming" chefs to produce top quality meals. The property stands on 10 acres of ground including beautiful gardens, a vineyard, lakes and two cottages in addition to the 19 en-suite bedrooms in the main property.
In March Mr Walton stepped down as a director of Langdon Court Manor Ltd, leaving Ms Thornton as sole director. The couple are still listed as controlling shareholders of the company.
The company registered a charge in February, borrowing money from Cumberland Building Society. Langdon Court Manor Ltd's most recent accounts, for the year to June 2022, showed net liabilities of £396,272, and no profit and loss account was filed. The company owed £302,612 to Ms Thornton and Mr Walton.
