Ridge/Parore split: 'Everything needs to end'

Adam Parore says his former fiance, Auckland socialite Sally Ridge, only cared about the money she received from a business they co-owned.

"She didn't care where it came from," Mr Parore said at the High Court at Auckland today.

Under cross-examination, from Ms Ridge's lawyer Daniel Grove, Mr Parore said "she never bothered to help" with their Small Business Accounting (SBA) business.

When asked whether Ms Ridge would have understood the legal or accounting explanations for why her dividend payments were stopped, Mr Parore said "she never once bothered to repay the joint expenses ... it was all just one way traffic".

"All she was focused on was getting paid."

Mr Parore said she is entitled to half of his business, however he cannot work with her.

"I've always acknowledged that Sally is entitled to half, I have no problem with that," he said from the witness box this morning.

However, Ms Ridge was impossible to deal with in a business relationship, he said.

"It's nothing against her as a person."

Although they didn't have a technical legal agreement, Mr Parore said their "equal sharing agreement" was that they would always share their combined assets from the relationship 50/50.

The former international cricketer said he had tried to pay Ms Ridge out of the business and at one stage offered his share to her.

Ms Ridge is claiming back pay and unpaid dividends from the accountancy business.

She said she hadn't received dividends from the business since September 2011 and wants a return to her relationship with the firm as it was in August 2011.

Mr Parore has said he refused to pay her dividends because she refused to contribute to the company's expenses or attend meetings.

Her trust is also claiming up to $830,000 from the sale of a "palatial" property in Ponsonby's Arthur St, which the former couple sold after their 2010 separation for more than $6 million.

In his witness statement, Mr Parore said the business is his career and livelihood however, there was "simply no way Sally and I can be in business together".

"I cannot rely on her to be reasonable or level headed when making business decisions, or in dealing with me in particular.

"Sally clearly thinks poorly of me because I am listed as a contact in her email address book as 'Adam Parore (ass ****)'."

From the witness box today, Mr Parore said he was adamant he wanted Ms Ridge out of the company and has offered to pay her out, however she wanted to retain her share in the company.

"Everything needs to end ... it needs to end," he said.

"It's not much fun sitting around the dinner table with your new partner talking about your ex all the time."

However he said their dispute was purely commercial and he would like to think that when their High Court legal proceedings finished, he and Ms Ridge could rebuild their relationship.

"I don't know if it will, but I'd like to think that we will.

"As to whether I want to be in a business relationship [with her], I don't."

The hearing before Justice Murray Gilbert continues.

 

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