James Dyson issues £50,000 lawsuit against his former PA accusing her of ‘spying’ while she was a member of staff at his £20million mansion
- Dyson accuses Lynette Flanders of stealing emails and recording staff chats
- He also claims she took photographs inside his country house in Gloucestershire
- Ms Flanders denies the allegations, branding them ‘vague and embarrassing’
Billionaire inventor James Dyson is suing his former PA following claims she stole emails, recorded staff conversations and took photos in his £20 million mansion, it was reported last night.
Sir James, 72, is suing Lynette Flanders for £50,000 at London’s High Court, alleging she stole more than 5,000 emails and downloaded his wife’s medical records.
Sir James and his wife Deirdre, 76, jointly launched the lawsuit after conducting an IT probe in October, The Sun reported.
Lynette Flanders has been accused of ‘spying’ by her former boss, businessman James Dyson
James Dyson and his wife Deirdre (pictured) are suing his former PA Lynette Flanders for £50,000
But Mrs Flanders, 50, denies the allegations, saying they are ‘vague and embarrassing’.
She first joined the staff at the estate in 2007 as a cleaner but rose to become a house manager of Dodington Park, where the couple live with a 100-strong force of staff, on a salary of £35,000 a year.
Sir James’s lawyers said this gave her ‘extensive access to private and confidential information’ before she was made redundant last August.
They also allege she made a secret recording of a conversation between two senior estate staff.
The lawsuit further accused her of taking five photographs inside the private Dodington Park in south Gloucestershire and sending them to her personal email address.
Mrs Flanders, 50, denies the allegations, saying they are ‘vague and embarrassing’
The couple’s sprawling country home: £20million Dodington Park in Gloucestershire
The Dysons bought the lavish 300-acre Georgian estate in 2003.
Built in the early 19th century, the estate contains both Grade I and Grade II listed buildings and is recognised as being of exceptional architectural and historic interest.
In 2017, Sir James avoided prosecution after building an underground marble swimming pool at the stately home without gaining planning permission from South Gloucestershire Council.
The Dysons are demanding up to £50,000 in damages for breach of confidence, misuse of private information and for the distress and anxiety caused.
But Mrs Flanders’s lawyers say she took the photographs inside the house because she wanted to remind herself where certain items were while she was cleaning.
Vacuum cleaner tycoon Sir James’s company made a profit of £1.1 billion in 2018.
According to Bloomberg, this made him the wealthiest person in Britain with a personal net worth of £10.5 billion.