EDWARDSVILLE – A woman is suing her ex-husband and their children, claiming they attempted to force her to surrender her share of their dairy and grain farm and engaged in theft of equipment and materials from her operation.
Plaintiff Ruth Lange filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against defendants Herbert Lange, Jr., Neil A. Lange, Richard W. Lange, and John H. Lange, citing allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, civil conspiracy, unjust enrichment, tortious interference with contract, tortious interference with prospective advantage, and tortious interference with economic advantage.
According to court documents, plaintiff Ruth Lange married defendant Herbert Lange, Jr., in 1979. At the time, they were partners running a dairy and grain farm and split the profits evenly. Over the decades, the operation grew from 100 acres to more than 4,000 acres by 2021. The couple had children over the course of their marriage, including co-defendants Neil A. Lange, Richard W. Lange, and John H. Lange. Neil and John would join the operation as salaried employees after graduating high school. Ruth and Herbert divorced on June 21, 2021.
According to Ruth, her children had rented or purchased land of their own and began running their own farming operation. Ruth alleges that around 2017, her children and Herb tried to convince her to surrender her share of the business to them through verbal statements, intimidation, threats and even physical battery. She claims that when they failed to convince her to surrender her business to them, they schemed together to steal equipment and materials from her operation to harvest crops on their land for their own financial gain, and that they never compensated her for the use of the equipment and materials. She further claims the defendants schemed to divert harvesting costs from their own operations to her operation, so she would unknowingly pay their expenses. Ruth also claims that the defendants schemed to divert crops and proceeds generated from her operation to their own operation for their own financial gain.
Ruth is demanding a jury trial to seek damages plus attorney's fees, court costs and any other relief the court deems proper. She is represented by attorneys Michael A. Kuiken of Linemann Miller Bowen, LLP in Chicago and Mark S. Schuver of Mathis Marifian and Richter, LTD in Belleville.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 2023LA001453