PROVO — Charter jets, luxury suites, fine jewelry and a home worth an estimated $14.9 million.
Such extravagance is reportedly the root of a major rift at a Utah personal injury law firm known for its "One Call — That's All" advertising slogan — Gregory, Barton & Swapp P.C.
The firm is in the midst of an internal tug of war between its two partners — Keith Barton, the firm's public face, and Buddy Gregory, his 74-year-old father-in-law.
"My father had built a business over 40-plus years, and he hoped to sell it to his son-in-law," said Kim Brown, Gregory's daughter, who claims that Barton owes her $750,000 for a series of ads done by her company.
Then Gregory discovered that Barton had sunk the firm into an insurmountable debt through a series of loans, according to court records. As collateral, Barton used money he had not yet received from pending settlements.
Now the firm is splitting up. A receiver, or mediator, was recently appointed to help the firm decide how the debt will be repaid and who will get the advertising slogan.
Brown says she doesn't know exactly how her brother-in-law racked up so much debt, but she thinks it has to do with a 30,000-square-foot home he began building in 2002 in Alpine.
That home — a seven bedroom, 13 bath mansion — is now for sale for $14.9 million.
The builder, Brad Reynolds, declined comment on whether Barton had paid him for his work.
A host of others are hounding the firm for unpaid debt, including Brown, who filed a lawsuit against her brother-in-law on Friday in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake.
Brown said her advertising firm — Kim Brown Media — did $2.15 million worth of work for the firm beginning in 2002. Some $750,000 of that remains unpaid, however.
"I don't want my father to have to pay me," she said. "I want to get it out of Keith."
Barton's attorney, Peggy Tomsic, said Brown's charges have no factual basis.
"This is really just an extension of the dispute between Mr. Barton and Mr. Gregory," Tomsic said. "She's taking sides and protecting her dad. She's trying to put some heat on Keith, but all this really does is add a little bit of chaos."
Brown said she filed the lawsuit as a last resort. On numerous occasions Barton promised to pay her, she said, but never did.
"I hope someday my brother-in-law can make my father whole," she said.
E-mail: jhyde@desnews.com