Lady laird begged builder to have sex then sacked him when he refused, court told

• Melville House, Jennifer Harvey's property at Monimail, Fife

Married Jennifer Harvey made the 11th hour deal after being sued for damages by contractor Ewan White, who said he had been forced to turn down her unwanted sexual advances.

Mrs Harvey had initially fought the claim, but on the eve of going to court to give evidence, she settled Mr White's action for more than 30,000.

When a last-minute bid to have the case postponed failed at Perth Sheriff Court she reached the settlement with Mr White's company, WTP Scotland.

Mr White, who described the landowner as "brassy", said she had pestered him for sex while his company was working on Melville House at Monimail in Fife. He lodged a claim for more than 30,000 compensation.

He said he spent weeks turning down Mrs Harvey as she "begged" him for sex and claimed she ended the contract when she discovered he had a girlfriend.

In papers lodged at the court, Mr White said that the mansion owner "frequently" asked him to have sex and sent him e-mails and text messages.

The court claim stated: "The defender, during the course of the contract, would frequently ask Ewan White to have sex with her. Ewan White refused.

"On 9 November 2009 at 8am she telephoned Ewan White. She stated that she 'had been thinking all weekend and had to have you'. She went on to say 'It will just be sex.' Ewan White advised that he did not wish to and advised that she should not speak about it again.

"The defender telephoned again at 7pm on 9 November 2009 and said 'she had a mattress looked out for the night' and begged Ewan White to come and stay overnight with her and have sex with her. Ewan White refused again.

"She continued to send e-mails and texts indicating a wish to have sex with Ewan White. She continued to demand sex with Ewan White when he attended on site during the course of the contract.

"On or about 7 December 2009, the defender became aware Ewan White had a girlfriend. Following on this, she terminated the contract."

Mr White is a director of Rumbling Bridge, Kinross-shire-based timber treatment specialist WTP Scotland, which raised the action for 32,143 at the court against Jennifer Harvey, trading as Melville House Enterprises, High Merryton Farm, Larkhall in Lanarkshire.

The action states that she purchased Melville House near Cupar after calling in Mr White to survey it and then hired his company as main contractor for works.

Melville House was once placed on the market for 4.5 million and became the most expensive residential repossession property in Scotland.The sprawling 11-bedroom house, which was significantly afflicted with rising damp, was later reduced to an asking price of 2.5m, and Mrs Harvey bought it in October 2009.

In reply to the accusations, Mrs Harvey claimed that the company overcharged her and also failed to carry out some of the jobs it was instructed to do.

She said that in one instance she was charged for 24 hours' work when the job should only have taken six, and at an hourly rate of 21 instead of the agreed 15.

Mrs Harvey's written response did not directly address the allegations of sexual bullying but outlined a list of reasons why she ended the contract.

She said WTP Scotland "failed to carry out specific instructions" and "proceeded with works without being authorised to do so".

She also said: "Ewan White displayed an increasingly difficult, chauvinistic and aggressive attitude towards the defender."

Melville House is a 17th century mansion and boasts seven reception areas, stables, a music room, a tennis court and even a cricket pitch.

Set in 16 acres, the grand house was built in 1697 by James Smith for the 1st Earl Melville.

During the Second World War, it was taken over by the army and became a hospital for servicemen.

The mansion was then used as a private school for children with special needs for nearly 50 years until a private investor bought it for 1m and restored it. When it failed to attract the 4.5m asking price in 2003, a South African repossessed it.

Before the scheduled proof, Mr White said: "I believe she and her husband made a fortune - about 5m - from a land deal. He still works on the farm while she swans around spending the money.

"I didn't know her before all of this. She was a client of mine, but a total stranger otherwise. You know the type, brassy, throwing money around."

He declined to comment yesterday after confirming he had signed a confidentiality clause as part of the deal.

Mrs Harvey was unavailable for comment.