Partying with NRL star Willie Mason caused my company to fail, claims investment boss

The boss of a financial services firm that allegedly blew NRL star Willie Mason’s $500,000 life savings has told a court his company collapsed because he spent too much time ‘partying’ with the retired footballer.

John Hanna and his brother Paul made the stunning claim in documents lodged to the NSW Supreme Court, where Mason is seeking $985,838.29 over a financial dispute with their liquidated company Fairchild Property Investments.

The 40-year-old former NSW and Australian representative is taking legal action claiming he was misled by his ‘former good friend’ and ‘mentor’ who breached their contract agreement.

Mason (pictured with a large group of revellers after taking part in the reality cooking show Hell’s Kitchen) is seeking $985,838.29 over a financial dispute with Fairchild Property Investments

Mason said in court documents that under the agreement reached in November 2014, he would receive 15 per cent per annum on a $500,000 investment paid to Fairchild, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

He also claims the deal indemnified him from any losses on the original sum, even if the firm went into liquidation.

The Hannas have denied the accusation and argue Mason ‘failed to exercise reasonable care’ before investing.

John Hanna said he became close friends with Mason between 2014 and 2018, ‘in which they partied hard’.

He partly blames the 200cm-tall front rower for Fairchild’s downfall.

‘This regular partying was aided and abetted by [Mason] and caused [John Hanna] in his capacity as the sole director of Fairchild to not properly manage the company and this resulted in the mismanagement of Fairchild,’ the Hannas allege in court documents.

Mason (pictured shirtless on the right) said in court documents that under the agreement reached in November 2014, he would receive 15 per cent per annum on a $500,000 investment paid to Fairchild

The statement says the case will examine ‘whether [Mason] caused Fairchild to not honour its obligations … as a result of his regular partying with [John Hanna], and as a result of such partying, causing [John Hanna] to mismanage his duties as director of Fairchild leading to the subsequent liquidation’.

Mason was introduced to the Hannas in 2013 while in the process of refinancing his eastern suburbs home in Sydney’s Clovelly.

The Bulldogs premiership-winner alleges the Hannas told him they were ‘experts in wealth creation’ and urged him to invest the proceeds from the sale of the home so he could ‘drive around in luxury cars like they did’.

Mason claims he entered into a contract at a meeting with the brothers at a Double Bay cafe and paid the $500,000 sum three days later.

John Hanna is pictured with celebrity singer and The Voice Judge Delta Goodram (left) 

John Hanna promotes himself as a ‘wealth creation expert’ and is also a motivational speaker

His lawyer Lewis Seelenmeyer says that an unsigned version of the agreement ‘is available for inspection’. 

Dominic Carbone, the Hannas legal representative, denies such a contract exists – signed or unsigned.

They insist the investment was unsecured and refute Mason’s claims there were any guarantees about the principal investment.

The Hannas legal team say the meeting on November 4 was really a Melbourne Cup lunch, and that no formal business arrangement was made. 

The case will continue in the Supreme Court on Friday.

The Bulldogs premiership-winner (pictured left) alleges the Hannas told him they were ‘experts in wealth creation’ and urged him to invest the proceeds from the sale of the home so he could ‘drive around in luxury cars like they did’