 Lord Kildare filed a counterclaim arguing, rather implausibly, that the action was a conspiracy between Lettice and Mabel to deprive him of his property.Mabel admitted to altering the deed, but she put the entire blame on her barrister, Henry Burnell, who was censured for professional misconduct and fined.The lawsuit, which became quite celebrated, dragged on for over a decade, with hearings in several courts in London and Dublin.