Businesswoman Sued for Over $250,000 After Calling Man 'Waste of White Man's Skin'

A British businesswoman is being sued for more than $250,000 by a financial consultant after she allegedly sent him racist WhatsApp messages.

Michelle Mone, a millionaire baroness well known for founding the popular lingerie brand Ultimo and MGM International with her husband, was named in a complaint filed by Richard Lynton-Jones.

Lynton-Jones, who is of Indian heritage, filed the 10-page writ against Mone in London's High Court. In the complaint, Lynton-Jones claimed Mone sent him a message saying he was a "waste of a white man's skin."

Lynton-Jones said Mone also referred to his partner as a "nut case bird" and "a mental loony," The Guardian reported. Mone was recently interviewed by police about the allegations.

He claimed Mone's actions caused "enormous distress, embarrassment, and injury to feelings" and his lawyers are now seeking a large payout for the damages of at least $250,000, The Sun reported.

The exchange allegedly occurred in May 2019 after both individuals were involved in a yachting accident in France that killed a young crew member. According to The Guardian, Mone, her husband, and their friends were socializing on their yacht when another yacht crashed into theirs.

Lynton-Jones had been a passenger on the other yacht and in the following days, the two got into a heated argument about the crewmember who was killed.

On December 3, after accusations initially leaked about the alleged messages, the baroness took to Instagram to express her feelings.

"Since when did calling out a man on his actions after a manslaughter and his entitled white privilege constitute racism?" Mone asked on Instagram.

In the post, she also mentioned that the accusations made against her were "full of contradictions" and claimed Lynton-Jones was out partying days after and not responding to police.

The Metropolitan police released a statement about the investigation on January 6, stating that they received the initial complaint in June 2021 of "racially aggravated malicious communication."

"Police spoke to the complainant and advised that for the investigation to progress a statement would need to be taken; for this to be admissible in any future court proceedings, this would need to be done in person," the statement read.

Metropolitan police also stated that in October, the complainant gave an official statement to police and the investigation is ongoing. They also said Mone was invited to attend an interview at a future date but did not refer to her by name.

In a statement to The Guardian, a lawyer representing Mone said that "Baroness Mone is 100 percent not a racist" and that she and her husband "have built over 15 schools in Africa in the past three years."

Her lawyers also said that it was "illogical" and "inconceivable" that the baroness made comments with "the slightest racist intent" because she thought Lynton-Jones couldn't have been "anything other than white British, as his appearance is 100 percent white, with a cut-glass English accent."