A Mormon heir to the Marriott hotel empire is suing his father for forcing him out of the family’s $3 billion trust because he got a divorce.
John Marriott III, 56, claims his 85-year-old father Bill Marriott disowned him and forced him out of the family business after he divorced his wife Angela in 2015.
The Marriott family are devout Mormons and strongly discourage divorce.
A lawsuit filed by John in a Washington DC court last week claims Bill, who is hotel company’s executive chairman, has attempted to drive his son into financial ruin by cutting him off from his share of the fortune.
John Marriott III, 56, (right in 2005) claims his 85-year-old father Bill Marriott (left) disowned him and forced him out of the family business after he divorced his wife Angela in 2015
The almost $3 billion trust was set up by Bill’s parents and founders of the Marriott hotel brand, J. Willard and Alice Marriott.
The lawsuit also names Bill’s brother, Richard Marriott, because he shares control of the family’s trust.
‘To sue my dad and my uncle is the last thing I want to do, and the last thing I ever expected to do. I’ve always looked up to them, and I’ve always trusted them, and they’ve always supported me and been there for me,’ John told the Washingtonian.
‘Since the divorce, my dad has tried to take away everything that I’ve earned and everything that my grandparents left for me, basically to punish me for not maintaining the image of the perfect Mormon family.’
A lawsuit filed by John last week claims Bill (above), who is the company’s chairman, has attempted to drive his son into financial ruin by cutting him off from his share of the fortune
John, who was a former Marriott executive, started working in the family hotel business as a 15-year-old dishwasher
The complaint says when John told his parents of his divorce, Bill responded ‘coldly and with no sympathy’. Bill allegedly told his son: ‘You’re leaving the family.’
The main argument in the lawsuit is that Bill and Richard have breached their fiduciary duties by denying John his share of the trust.
Bill and Richard Marriott’s spokesperson said last week: ‘The allegations of which we are aware at this time are untrue.’
John, who was a former Marriott executive, started working in the family business as a 15-year-old dishwasher.
The almost $3 billion trust was set up by Bill’s parents and founders of the Marriott hotel brand, J. Willard and Alice Marriott (pictured above in 1974)
He then worked his way up before becoming executive vice president of sales and marketing and president of North American lodging.
While many had assumed he would take over from his father, John claims in the lawsuit that his father had started looking for alternatives in 2005.
John left the Marriott in 2006 but remained on the board.
He said in the suit that he had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction his whole life but it never affected his work performance.
The lawsuit says Bill was aware of his son’s substance abuse for years but tolerated it because it hadn’t caused damage to the family’s reputation.