More than two years after securing a $1.39 million judgment against Eric Lamaze and his companies, Canadian owners Muffie Guthrie and the late Jeff Brandmaier have prevailed yet again. The long-running dispute, which centred on the sale and valuation of high-performance horses, returned to court this week for a special set evidentiary hearing in Palm Beach County, Florida. The outcome marked a decisive moment in a case that has travelled through procedural twists, judicial administrative delays, appeals, and revelations that captured the attention of the global equestrian community.
The original judgment, issued in November 2023, awarded judgment against Lamaze and his companies for the amount of $1,325,534.21 plus accrued interest at the time totalling $64,655.23, plus post-judgment interest. Based on the award of the judgment, the allegations of Guthrie’s complaint – including that Lamaze sold the jumper Nikka VD Bisschop, which was fifty percent owned by the plaintiffs, to Mark and Tara Rein without disclosing the sale to Guthrie and Brandmaier – were deemed admitted by the defendants. The court concluded that Lamaze wrongfully retained their share of the profit, which totalled more than $1.3 million dollars. The plaintiffs are also entitled to recoup their reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.
The case became notable not only for the financial magnitude of the ruling, but also for concerns surrounding the authenticity of medical documents submitted in Lamaze’s defence in multiple jurisdictions. A letter from CHIREC Hospital in Belgium clarified that a medical report attributed to one of its neurosurgeons that discussed Lamaze’s medical conditions and treatment was a fabrication, undercutting a key element of Lamaze’s narrative and reinforcing the seriousness of the plaintiffs’ allegations.
Lamaze repeatedly failed to attend hearings, and his companies disregarded orders entered by the court. Instead, Lamaze and his companies attempted to flood the court docket with a flurry of filings that questioned judicial procedures, while repeatedly failing to attend duly noticed and scheduled hearings. Each attempt ultimately failed.
The matter then advanced to a special set evidentiary hearing that was held Thursday, November 13. That proceeding offered Lamaze and his corporate entities a full opportunity to appear, respond, and argue why his pleadings, and those of his companies, should not be stricken, and why judgment should not be entered against them. Despite being fully noticed and aware of the hearing, neither Lamaze nor any representative appeared on his behalf. No counsel appeared on behalf of his companies.
The absence was striking. Counsel for Guthrie arrived prepared to address the record, but the defence was absent throughout the hour-long session. The court reviewed the existing evidence, the procedural history, and the extensive record of filings before ruling that the pleadings of Lamaze and his companies are stricken and entering judgment once again in favour of the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs’ victory is warranted.
“I pursued this case on principle,” said Guthrie. “Eric sold a horse that he did not wholly own, concealed it from us, and kept our share of the profit. I may never recover the money or the legal costs, but for Jeff and for me, this was about standing up for the truth and making sure he was held accountable.”
In a telling coda to the saga, the horse at the centre of the controversy, Nikka VD Bisschop, is currently competing at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair with France’s Nina Mallevaey. The 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare placed second in the $170,000 Mad Barn Big Ben Challenge on Thursday and will likely contest Saturday’s $280,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™.
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