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| From: lewis.perdue@wineindustryinsight.com Subject: WINE EXECUTIVE NEWS - Sulser Bryant sues to silence the whistleblower who once saved her $3 million: 1st of a 3-part series - Octover 9, 2019 Date: 2019-10-08 18:23:23 To: Emailing List Subscriber |
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| WINE EXECUTIVE NEWS - Sulser Bryant sues to silence the whistleblower who once saved her $3 million: 1st of a 3-part series | October 9, 2019 You are receiving this email because you are a premium VIP subscriber to Wine Executive News Premium Member.
If you do not wish to receive this, please click the following link: >>>> [UNSUBSCRIBE] <<<<  VIP Wine Executive News Member BriefingThe premium, VIP service of Wine Industry Insight From editor & publisher, Lewis PerdueOctober 9 2019 Apologies if there are some typos.
I've been rushing to complete this and get it to you before PG&E turns the lights off here in Sonoma tonight as per their lame attempts to make customers bear the brunt of their incompetence.
Sulser Bryant sues to silence the whistleblower who once saved her $3 million: 1st of a 3-part series Other articles to be published in this new, three-part series:
NOTE: This three-part update is based primarily on new court filings and judicial decisions. The context is enhanced because our previous coverage prompted multiple knowledgeable and current winery sources not connected with the litigation to contact Wine Industry Insight (WII) with additional information.
The accuracy, context and content of these articles are improved because our previous coverage of prompted multiple knowledgeable and current winery sources not connected with the litigation to contact Wine Industry Insight (WII) with additional information. All source attributable information is confirmed by court documents or multiple independent sources not connected with the litigation. Wine Industry Insight adheres to the Associated Press rules on anonymous sources. A Napa Valley “cult” winery CEO’s personal anger and potential mismanagement seems to underpin a bi-coastal federal court battle with two separate law firms in New York and California whose cases are not coordinated and thus sometimes working at cross purposes. This is according to court documents, current winery sources, and individuals close to the Bryant Family Trust who have spoken to Wine Industry Insight either on background or off-the-record and not to be identified. The situation started with the abrupt firing of Lauren Ridenhour, a financial consultant and former employee of Bryant Vineyards, Inc. The winery founded in 1986 by wealthy businessman and art collector Donald L. Bryant, Jr. and his ex-wife, Barbara. The current winery CEO is Bryant’s second wife, Bettina Sulser Bryant. Bryant Vineyards Inc. and its associated associated winery, Bryant Estate, are ultimately owned by a family trust. In the beginning, Ridenhour sues the BryantsAs detailed in this June 3, 2019 article in Wine Industry Insight, on March 22, 2019, financial consultant Lauren Ridenhour sued Donald I. Bryant Jr., and his wife, Bettina Sulser Bryant in New York U.S. District Court. Her complaint charged the winery with wrongful discharge and failure to pay for her work on refinancing a $100-million loan secured by the Bryant Art Trust’s collection of fine art said to be worth $300 million. Ridenhour, formerly with JP Morgan Chase Private Bank and similar banks, helps high-net-worth individuals and family trusts to get the best terms for very large and, sometimes unusual loans. Court filings acknowledge that the refinance work on the 2016 loan she did for the Bryants saved them more than $3 million in interest expenses. That assertion has not been challenged by Sulser Bryant.
The rest of this 1,932-word article is available to Wine Executive News Premium Subscribers
ALSO IN THIS ARTICLE:
In reaction to the move to dismiss, on July 31, Ridenhour’s attorney filed a Second Amended Complaint that included five exhibits which offered more specific information to address the Bryant dismissal effort. Ridenhour’s original complaint and the Second Amended one, describe many other documents, emails and other related data.
Court standards are relatively consistent across the nation. Defeating a demand for dismissal does not require the sort of full-blown disclosure as does the discovery aspect of a trial. Instead, it requires providing enough evidence to satisfy the court that a genuine case exists to be litigated. In addition to the previous exhibit, the new ones included documents:
Previous WII coverage:
Not a Wine Executive News Subscriber?Subscribe to Wine Executive News now, and get the rest of this original article along with everything else on the site every day, including original documents, spreadsheets,and source materials for just $29.99 per month or $209 per year 29 Full Ridenhour and Bryant litigation court documents for premium Wine Executive News Premium
Not a Wine Executive News subscriber? Subscribe to Wine Executive News now, and get the rest of this original article along with everything else on the site every day, including original documents, spreadsheets,and source materials for just $29.99 per month or $209 per year New Subscriber Info You can always contact me directly at: lewis.perdue@wineindustryinsight.com or by replying to this email. When you sign up for premium, I always check to see if you are also getting the free News Fetch. If not, I sign you up so you will get the news quickly. 3 More places where you can find VIP premium content
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In addition, articles that contain premium content will also be in the "Features" category on the Wine Industry Insight web site. Why 2 billing systems? Because our billing company of the past nine years was bought by a company that does not accept American Express, we have had to change our subscription process, and the method of accessing premium content. (Here’s more about that.) ================= CONTACT DATA ==================== Lewis Perdue 670 W. Napa St., Suite H, Sonoma, CA 95476 Phone: 707-326-4503, fax: 707-940-4146 Email: lewis.perdue@wineindustryinsight.com |
