NZ company prepares to sue Gordon Ramsay

Lawyers for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay are today holding discussions with those of a New Zealand promotions company, which is suing him for more than $2 million after he cancelled his appearances at sold-out charity events here.

This was the second time Ramsay, who charged a $100,000 appearance fee, had not met contracts with the company, Duco Events.

He was to take part in three charity dinners in the main centres in June, but postponed the tour until October after his mother suffered a minor heart attack.

He cancelled the October dates to stay in Britain to sort out business matters, offering a personal donation to the related charitable trust.

Duco Events director David Higgins said the cancellations meant about 1600 tickets had been refunded.

"He's effectively cancelled four events and mucked around a whole lot of people including, obviously, me, a charity recipient, the paying public, sponsors, the broadcaster, caused reputational damage and just generally wreaked havoc."

The dinners would have raised money for a New Zealand girl living in the United States, Matisse Reid, who suffers from an intestinal disorder meaning she cannot eat and requires costly treatment.

Mr Higgins said his barrister would be holding a teleconference with Ramsay's lawyer and a judge today to discuss the case.

The notoriously temperamental chef is the host of television shows Hell's Kitchen, The F Word and Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

- NZPA