McKillen dismisses claim he sought ‘non-gay’ manager for Claridge’s Hotel

Property developer Paddy McKillen has dismissed as lies claims in British court documents that he sought to hire a non-gay manager for a luxury London hotel and disparaged a woman contractor.

Maybourne Hotels, controlled by Qatari royal Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, has claimed in an affidavit to Britain’s high court that Mr McKillen sought to hire a “non-gay and British” manager to run one of its properties, Claridge’s Hotel in London, reports on Monday said.

The document also says he referred to a female contractor as a “Spanish c**t”, according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Mr McKillen dismissed the claims as fabricated allegations and lies meant to scare him from continuing with a claim for 20 years’ equity in Claridge’s to which he says he is entitled.

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He is suing Maybourne, which also owns London’s Berkeley and Connaught hotels, for payments he maintains are due for running the business on Sheikh Hamad’s behalf.

The pair joined forces to buy the group in 2015 but split last year following a dispute over Mr McKillen’s claim for deferred payment.

“These are their tactics and these lies are an attempt to scare me from claiming my 20 years’ equity in Claridge’s,” Mr McKillen said, adding that he would get every penny owed.

He dubbed the claims “disgusting” and intended to damage him. “All my many friends know better,” the developer said.

His claim is tied to Maybourne’s value, but the sides differ widely on this, with estimates varying between £1 billion sterling (€1.15 billion) and £5 billion.

The claims reported on Monday were part of Maybourne’s defence to a defamation suit brought by Frank Sinton, who Mr McKillen took on as a project manager for some of Maybourne’s properties. The hotel business denies that it defamed Mr Sinton.

Maybourne denied both access to Claridge’s last year, a move Mr Sinton’s lawyers say was part of a strategy to shore up the Al Thanis’ negotiating position on Mr McKillen’s payment.

Reports say that the hotel group claims it became aware of allegations against Mr McKillen, Mr Sinton and a third man, Ronnie Delany, in March 2022.

Mr Sinton’s legal team said he was innocent of any wrongdoing and was determined to vindicate his reputation at the earliest possible opportunity.

“He hopes and believes this claim will reveal the true motivation on the part of the defendant for making defamatory statements about him,” they added.