Firm sues 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.

The dinners would have raised money for a Hawke's Bay girl living in the United States, Matisse Reid, who recently had a transplant to help correct a congenital intestinal disorder.

Ramsay, who charged a $100,000 appearance fee, 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 donation to the related charitable trust.

Duco Events director David Higgins said the no-show meant 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," he said.