A long-standing legal battle between the children of the late restaurateur Amy Chant, who built the successful Chat Thai restaurant chain in Sydney, has concluded in favor of her son, Pat Laoyont. Chant, who passed away in 2021 after a battle with brain cancer, left behind two wills—one in New South Wales (NSW) and another in Thailand—creating a dispute over her multi-million-dollar empire.
Amy Chant, revered as the “Queen of Thai,” started the Chat Thai restaurant in Darlinghurst 35 years ago. By the time of her death, she had expanded her business into a chain of eight restaurants. Her two children, Palisa Anderson and Pat, each received significant portions of her estate, but the two wills complicated the division of assets. While both wills provided for Palisa and Pat, there was disagreement over which will should govern her restaurant empire and related properties.
The NSW will split ownership of the CT Group, the parent company of the restaurant chain, between Palisa and Pat, with Pat receiving the Chat Thai CBD restaurant. In contrast, the Thai will gave Pat all the shares in the CT Group and the rest of the estate. Palisa received ownership of a farm near Byron Bay and a property in Mosman, but she contested the validity of the Thai will, claiming her mother’s illness affected her decision-making.
The court battle revealed tension between the siblings, with Amy expressing concerns over how the Chat Thai business should be run after her death. Amy’s brother Bob testified that Amy trusted Pat to run the business according to her wishes and expressed distrust toward Palisa’s husband, Matthew Anderson. The Thai will was reportedly created in response to Amy’s belief that Matthew was attempting to take control of the business, an allegation supported by a Thai lawyer who helped draft the will.
Palisa argued that her mother was not of sound mind when the will was changed, citing “scatter-brained behavior.” However, the court found that Amy, a successful businesswoman, had a clear understanding of her decision. The court noted that Amy disagreed with her son-in-law’s view that the Chat Thai business model was outdated and unproductive.
In the end, the court dismissed Palisa’s appeal, ruling in favor of Pat, who will now inherit the majority of the estate, including control of the restaurant chain.
