It’s the kind of legal drama that feels straight out of a soap opera—except this one is very real.
A son who spent decades working his father’s land is now battling his stepmother in court, claiming he was cut out of the family’s £43 million fortune unfairly.
At the heart of the dispute is Adam Scott, now 62, who says he gave up everything to help build his father’s farming and car boot sale empire—only to be left with nothing when the will was rewritten after his dad remarried.
From Humble Sales to a Multi-Million Pound Legacy
Richard Scott wasn’t your typical businessman.
Known as the ‘car boot king’, he transformed his Cheshire farmland into the UK’s second-biggest boot fair and even had ITV cameras filming on-site for Car Boot Challenge.
He was a self-made tycoon who built his fortune through sheer grit, earning every penny of a property portfolio that’s now estimated to be worth as much as £43 million.
But when he passed away in 2018 at the age of 81, it was his second wife—former cleaner Jennifer Scott—who was left in control of the entire estate.
The ‘Golden Boy’ Left Out in the Cold
Adam Scott, Richard’s eldest child, says he was always his dad’s favourite—the so-called “golden boy.”
From the age of nine, he claims he was promised the farm would one day be his.
He says he worked grueling hours without complaint, turning down opportunities and sacrificing his marriage and family holidays to help run the business.
But things took a dramatic turn after Richard remarried in 2016.
Jennifer, nearly three decades his junior and younger than Adam, had worked for the family for years.
After their wedding, Richard rewrote his will—not once, but twice—and completely disinherited Adam.
Accusations Fly Over Mental State and Family Loyalty
Now Adam is taking his stepmother to London’s High Court, claiming that his father wasn’t mentally capable of making those legal decisions.
His legal team says Richard had been diagnosed with a form of dementia back in 2011, long before the wills were signed.
They argue Richard could barely speak by 2016 and that Jennifer effectively acted as his “translator” when he could no longer express himself clearly.
Adam’s side says these wills go against decades of promises and years of back-breaking commitment to the farm.
Promises Made, Promises Broken?
Adam’s lawyer described this as a textbook case of broken promises.
She says Richard repeatedly assured his son the farm would be his and that Adam only stayed out of loyalty to that promise.
Adam is now seeking what’s called a “proprietary estoppel” claim.
In plain terms, he’s asking the court to honor the promise his father made—even if it wasn’t in writing—because he built his life around it.
His lawyers say he should’ve been given a 40-year lease to the farm and an option to buy it at its original valuation.
Instead, Jennifer was given the keys to the kingdom.
A Complicated, Controversial Family History
But Jennifer’s legal team has a very different story to tell.
They claim Richard had every reason to change his will.
According to them, Adam once tried to have his father sectioned under the Mental Health Act, accusing him of domestic abuse.
There was even drama at the wedding itself—Adam tried to stop it by alleging his father was mentally unfit to marry.
But after a thorough review by registrars and council officials, the ceremony went ahead.
Jennifer’s lawyer insists Adam already received land and property worth over £10 million while his father was alive, and that he has no legal claim to anything else.
Nineteen Children, Countless Complications
This isn’t a simple inheritance. Richard Scott had 19 children—six with his first wife, six more outside that marriage, and another seven with Jennifer.
His family life was as complex as his business empire.
Jennifer’s team argues Richard wanted all his children treated equally and that Adam was never the sole heir.
In fact, they say Richard had a history of being “controlling, manipulative, and unpredictable,” and that any early promises he made were vague hopes, not binding commitments.
The Courtroom Showdown Continues
With millions on the line and years of personal history tangled in legal arguments, this courtroom battle is far from over.
Adam maintains that everything he did—from giving up his personal life to investing his time and energy into the farm—was because he believed in his father’s promise.
Now, he’s asking the court to right what he believes is a terrible wrong.
Jennifer, on the other hand, says everything was above board and that Richard made a conscious, deliberate choice to change his will—and that choice should be respected.
The judge must now sift through a lifetime of emotional and financial entanglements to decide what was fair, what was promised, and what was truly intended.
The case is still ongoing.