Bra tycoon Michelle Mone sued for £200k after ‘calling man “waste of white man’s skin”‘ in ‘racist’ WhatsApp message
MILLIONAIRE bra tycoon Michelle Mone is being sued for "unlimited damages" after allegedly branding a man "a waste of a white man's skin".
Financial consultant Richard Lynton-Jones, who is of Indian heritage, has filed the bombshell ten-page writ against the Scots Tory peer in London's High Court.
He claims her actions have caused him "enormous distress, embarrassment and injury to feelings".
And his lawyers are demanding a huge pay-out in aggravated damages of at least £200,000 from the Baroness, 50.
The pair's bitter dispute dates back to a tragic 2019 yachting accident in Cannes, France, when a young crew member lost his life.
Lady Mone is said to have later sent the racist WhatsApp message to Mr Lynton-Jones and others.
In other messages, she is also accused of calling his then partner "a mental loony", "mad" and "a nut case bird".
When details of the exchanges leaked last December, Lady Mone posted a 127-word statement on Instagram.
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She accused Mr Lynton-Jones of "entitled white privilege" and failing to respond to cops.
A statement issued by the peer's own lawyers also insisted his "appearance is 100 per cent white, with a cut-glass English accent".
But Mr Lynton-Jones' lawyers say both statements were defamatory.
They argue her Instagram post wrongly suggested Mr Lynton-Jones had "falsely accused" Lady Mone of "making a racist comment".
And they say it also falsely implied he was "reasonably suspected of involvement in the manslaughter of a young boy" AND had "disgracefully refused" to cooperate with - or even speak to - cops investigating the tragedy.
Lady Mone "well knew" her comment about Mr Lynton-Jones was racist, the writ claims.
It says the Tory peer was aware he had been the victim of a racially aggravated assault in Majorca in 2007 that left him needing metal plates implanted in his cheek.
Incredibly, the court papers add: "The defendant was well aware of this, having touched the plates resulting from the racist attack, which made her false denial particularly cruel."
RACE ROW
The writ says Lady Mone knew Mr Lynton-Jones "well" and "knew that he was not 100 per cent white, his having discussed his heritage with the defendant and her husband Mr Barrowman on various occasions previously".
It adds: "In particular, the claimant and the defendant had known each other a number of years, had spent time together on holidays and in social events on numerous occasions."
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Mr Lynton-Jones had complained to the Met's hate crime unit, the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards and the Committee on Standards in Public Life about Lady Mone's WhatsApp exchanges last year.
News of the complaints leaked last December - and Lady Mone's lawyers hit back in a powerful statement.
But Mr Lynton-Jones' legal team says that was also libellous, because it suggested he was LYING about the WhatsApp messages and Lady Mone's alleged racism.
They argue her later Instagram post was read by her 114,000 followers, while news reports were seen by "many millions" more.
POLICE PROBE
Mr Lynton-Jones' writ says the statement and Instagram post have "caused serious harm to the claimant's personal and professional reputation".
And they say the "very serious nature of the imputations conveyed, involving serious dishonesty and involvement in manslaughter" will now be relied on in court.
The writ adds: "The defendant's publication of the article has caused the claimant enormous distress, embarrassment and injury to feelings".
Mr Lynton-Jones is demanding an injunction to stop Lady Mone from repeating the comments, damages, and costs.
Lady Mone is due to be quizzed by cops over the alleged racist slur.
The investigation by the Metropolitan Police comes after parliamentary officials said the claim made in a formal complaint fell outside of their jurisdiction.
Lady Mone, who has not been arrested, has been asked to attend a police station for an interview under caution.
She was previously due to meet officers in central London for the formal, taped interview, but pulled out at the eleventh hour.
The peer asked for the meeting to be re-scheduled and it is expected to take place soon.
Baroness Mone's lawyer today said: "This claim was served without prior notice to Baroness Mone in contravention of the Civil Procedure Rules. She has been advised that it lacks merit and will defend it vigorously."
MOGUL'S DENIAL
In a statement issued last month, her reps said: "Baroness Mone is 100 per cent not a racist.
"Baroness Mone and her husband have built over 15 schools in Africa in the past three years.”
They said Lady Mone had no memory of the messages and has "no access" to them.
The statement said it was "as illogical as it is inconceivable that she could or would have made such a comment or made it with the slightest racist intent".
It added: "She is not prepared to comment on the messages unless and until their authenticity has been confirmed but Baroness Mone, in any event, very strongly denies that she is a racist, a sexist or that she has a lack of respect for those persons genuinely suffering with mental health difficulties."
Lady Mone also spoke out on the claims on her Instagram account.
She said: "Since when did calling out a man on his actions after a manslaughter and his entitled white privilege constitute racism?
"Quite the opposite- the accusations I have read today against me are full of contradictions.
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";I will set the record straight on this defamation before deciding on any legal action."
Lady Mone, who made her fortune through the underwear empire Ultimo, was appointed to the Lords by then PM David Cameron in 2015.
