Local Law Firms Home > Real Estate Law News > Kiawah Island Real Estate Law Dispute The complexity of real estate law and property holdings is in sharp focus on Kiawah Island, SC near Charleston. The late J.C. Long established a real estate empire on Kiawah Island. His company, Kiawah Partners, is now a global empire with a golf resort in Ireland and a harbor development project in St. Kitts in the Caribbean. J.C. Long's grandson and grand-nephew are engaged in a bitter dispute for control of the family empire, and the fight has now ended up in court. The defendant is J.C. Long's grandson Charles P. Buddy Darby III, who was given control of the company in 1997, and is still the CEO of Kiawah Development Partners. The lawsuit was filed by descendants of J.C. Long's brother L.D. Long, who hold a minority stake in the company. Leonard Long, L.D. Long's grandson and J.C. Long's grand-nephew, is one of the plaintiffs. He was the company's executive vice president until last year. There are 19 plaintiffs all put together, including other individuals and some trusts and partnership companies. They allege that their voice in the company has been ignored and that Darby has tried to "squeeze the plaintiffs out of their ownership interests." They allege that there was opposition on their part to making investments outside Kiawah Island, but their opinions were ignored. Now they want the court to dissolve all of the company's partnerships that hold the properties and put everything into a trust. The ownership, they say, should be divided among all the partners and the properties sold off if needed. The assets include large properties on Kiawah Island and Johns Island in South Carolina, including with the Beachwalker Park on the west end of Kiawah Island. Then there is the Doonbeg Gold Resort the west coast of Clare, Ireland. The company has made an investment in developing a 2,500 acre harbor project for the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts. The suit also alleges that Buddy Darby has misappropriated company funds and assets for personal use for himself and his family. Did you know? |