Christmas is a time for get-togethers, and perhaps the occasional disagreement too. But in some disputes, the stakes are far higher than whose turn it is to bring desserts
Ben Dunne
Family feuds often follow a familiar trajectory. An ageing patriarch who spent a life-time building up a business empire bequeaths it to his wife and children. And then the trouble starts. Some of the siblings want to sell their shares, but the rest won’t agree on what they’re worth. Or one of the sons wants the company to go in a particular direction, but the others don’t.
The row erupts in public for maybe just a few months, perhaps taking in a visit to the courts, and then it all gets sorted behind the scenes, although bad feeling may linger for years.