Pratt love child Paula Hitchcock: ‘I joined weekly Shabbat, family holidays’
New details of the relationship between Richard Pratt’s love child and his family have come to light in Paula Hitchcock’s latest legal claim on one of Australia’s biggest family fortunes.
Paula Hitchcock says she regularly attended the billionaire Pratt family’s weekly Shabbat at the invitation of her biological father, Richard Pratt, and his wife Jeanne. She was also offered a bedroom in their Melbourne home and joined their family holidays.
New details of the family connections have been made by the deceased Visy magnate’s love child in her latest legal claim. At stake is one of Australia’s biggest family fortunes.
The 27-year-old is trying to prove she is legally entitled to the same slice of the Pratt family trust as her high-profile half-siblings Anthony Pratt, Heloise Waislitz and Fiona Geminder.
Richard Pratt, who was one of Australia’s richest men, led an extraordinary double life. He was married to Jeanne, but also had high-profile affairs.
The man who emigrated from Poland to Australia in 1938 and went from acting to taking over the family business, died in 2009, but left his wife and children much more than his wealth.
The late Pratt made his fortune spearheading one of his father’s businesses that manufactured cardboard boxes, Visy, and amassed a fortune now worth about $27bn.
He had an affair with horse trainer Shari-lea Hitchcock, with Paula born in September 1997.
Paula Hitchcock is now asking the NSW Supreme Court to declare her a “discretionary object” of the Pratt Family Holdings Trust, arguing a deed of exclusion – which fairly cut her out as a child, according to the siblings – should be voided.
Amid a two-year court stoush, Ms Hitchcock is fighting to put an amended statement of claim on the court’s record that lists several examples she says demonstrate that she was acknowledged as part of Pratt’s family “at all times” since her birth.
“The plaintiff (Ms Hitchcock) was acknowledged by Mr Pratt as a member of his family at all times after the plaintiff’s birth, until Mr Pratt passed away. This included through Mr Pratt consenting to be identified as the plaintiff’s father on the plaintiff’s birth certificate soon after her birth,” the claim reads. “(As well as) by providing a bedroom for the plaintiff to stay at Mr Pratt and Mrs Pratt’s home Raheen where the plaintiff regularly stayed.
“(And) inviting the plaintiff to family events including at Raheen, such as weekly family Shabbat, which the plaintiff regularly attended.”
Ms Hitchcock was initially left a mansion in the Sydney harbourside suburb of Watsons Bay and a property in rural NSW in Pratt’s will. She also stood to collect $23m in private shares upon her 21st birthday.
Ms Hitchcock declined to comment for this story while her case is before the court, but posts to social media made by her and her mother provide a glimpse into her life so far.
Pictures shared by Ms Hitchcock include old action shots of her jumping horses in posts on Facebook dating back to 2009, perhaps sharing the same love of horses as her mother.
There are also waterfront photos taken at what appears to be the same residential spot in Sydney, showing a confident young woman over the years.
Ms Hitchcock attended the Sydney eastern suburbs private girls school Kambala, where the fees for a student in years 9 and 10 are now just over $50,000. And according to her Facebook profile, she also attended the University of Sydney, where she studies finance.
The most recent photos she shared show Ms Hitchcock in her wedding dress, on the day she married Nassib Thoumi in Watsons Bay in August 2022.
Shari-lea shared an image on December 10, 2020, on Facebook with the caption “Cute picture of Paula and Richard. He would have been 86 today.”
In the photo, Paula is in a pram and looking up at Pratt, who appears to be looking and pointing to the camera. Both are smiling.
A year later in 2021, Shari-lea shared a photo of a young Paula with Pratt and herself captioned “24 years ago beautiful Paula was born! Happy birthday darling.”
Aside from what appears to be a neighbourly dispute involving planning approvals resolved between Ms Hitchcock and fellow Watsons Bay resident Genevieve Reed in 2022, the only other court action she has been involved in are those cases involving her mother and the Pratt fortune.
The NSW Supreme Court released evidence to The Australian in the case, including an affidavit lodged by Ms Hitchcock’s solicitor in July that contained the amended statement of claim.
After Pratt died in 2009, Ms Hitchcock’s mother contested his will, leaving the Hitchcocks with a settlement that included shares and property.
Lawyers for the Pratt siblings are arguing Ms Hitchcock’s amended statement of claim should not be accepted and at a hearing in February said it was “seriously defective”. It came after the pleadings have been filed multiple times and NSW Supreme Court judge Michael Meek noted that the case had been ongoing for 22 months, which was a “fairly long time”.
But Ms Hitchcock’s barrister, Christopher Withers, SC – who agreed to file an amended pleading in February – said his client’s claims were all “arguable” and not “misconceived” or “speculative”.
According to the amended pleadings, seen by The Australian, Ms Hitchcock further said Pratt took her on holidays, paid for her living expenses and provided her with care and support.
Through their pleadings, the Pratt siblings deny this.
The matter is next listed for hearing in June.
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