Brendan Fitzpatrick Accused of Invoking His Wealthy Mother-in-Law to Reassure a Lender

A lawsuit in the United States accuses former reality television personality Brendan Fitzpatrick and his wife, Chloe, of using her mother’s fortune to persuade a friend to lend him money. The lender, Max Fowles-Prazdo, says Fitzpatrick borrowed £1.3 million—about C$2.4 million—for a property project in the United Kingdom and has not repaid it. According to the complaint, Fowles-Prazdo and his partner became friends with the couple in 2024. Fitzpatrick and Chloe allegedly promised the loan would be repaid quickly, including by money from Chloe’s mother, Quebec billionaire Sophie Desmarais. The filing cites a text attributed to Fitzpatrick that described his mother-in-law as a billionaire, and alleges the couple repeatedly presented her wealth as reassurance that repayment was secure. The lender claims he never got his money back and says the loss left him unable to make payments on his home, with serious psychological effects on him and his family. The lawsuit also alleges that the couple continued to live, and to present themselves, in luxury while the debt remained unpaid. Fowles-Prazdo says the couple invited him and his partner to spend the summer in southern France and hosted them at Desmarais’s estate in Bolton-Ouest, Quebec. The complaint describes those lavish trips as part of the alleged deception. Fitzpatrick and Chloe have also been pictured together with Desmarais during a 2024 cruise in the Adriatic, according to the report. These are allegations made in a civil lawsuit, not findings of a court. The account provided does not include a response from Fitzpatrick, Chloe, or Desmarais to the claims.