Gordon Ramsay in further legal battle with father-in-law

Gordon Ramsay's father-in-law has taken fresh legal action against the celebrity chef over allegations the star failed to pay a debt.

The cook first fell out with his wife Tana's family in 2010 when he fired his father-in-law Chris Hutcheson as CEO of Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH). Hutcheson subsequently filed a lawsuit against Ramsay, while the TV star hit back by filing his own legal papers against several of his partner's relatives.

The bitter battle ended earlier this year when both sides agreed on an out-of-court settlement, but now Hutcheson has filed new documents against the chef.

He lodged a petition with London's High Court on Wednesday to "wind up" GRH, which owns all of Ramsay's restaurants and media ventures, claiming he was taking the action in pursuit of a "significant unpaid debt", according to the Daily Mail newspaper.

A spokesman for the chef says, "There are valid reasons why the purported debt has not been paid which has nothing to do with GRH's solvency or ability to pay."

A hearing into the matter has been scheduled for 21 January.