Lodève: Théron & Son, an end announced against a backdrop of family differences

One page turns and the workshop on Avenue Joseph Railhac will close its doors permanently. Free Midi – ALAIN MENDEZ

The artisanal ironworks company with recognized expertise in heritage restoration was split in two in 2018 and is in the process of being dissolved.

"I don't deserve this, we don't deserve this! Leave me alone. It makes me and my wife sick"proclaims Roland Théron to anyone who wants to hear it. The retired craftsman managed the ironwork company of excellence Théron created in Lodève by his father Léon in 1947 with whom he started, before passing it on to his two sons Thierry and Thomas who became co-managers in 2008. The know-how of the artisanal company, labeled a living heritage company, is renowned well beyond Lodévois, where it has worked on prestigious heritage projects.

In 2018, Thierry created Métiers du Fer in parallel to develop. Since then the situation has degenerated and today Théron & Son is on the way to disappearing permanently.    

"A siphoned society"

"We have to stop, I can't do anything anymore. I want to return to a normal life, in Lodève or elsewhere with prospects for the future" adds Thomas who became an employee shareholder of Métiers du Fer managed by Thierry and& nbsp;his wife at its creation. "I started to have enormous pressure and after burnout, I was fired. " explains the man who is also a reservist police officer. "I tried to take over the family company in 2020 but it didn'it didn'it was siphoned off with bills and a dissolution procedure. And everyone fell on me." 

It is in this sense that a request for erasure of criminal records has just been requested from the courts by his new lawyer, Maître Laurence-Marie Fourrier who took over the file in 2023.  

"We did everything to prevent him from finding work. He has recognized expertise but he became incapable overnight and found himself on the street. I stood up for him, started to understand what had happened and it all went downhill from there.  abounds Roland who does not hesitate to talk endlessly about "misappropriation of customers and contracts" , "machinery sales" , " mixture of treasuries" or "diversion of the fixed telephone line".&amp ;nbsp;

Complaints dismissed and appealed

Serious accusations brought to court in vain on several occasions. Complaints were in fact filed before the commercial and criminal chamber, all dismissed and currently in the appeal procedure.

"I discovered things little by little in the papers, with the phone calls that I also received from people who didn't understand not them either what was happening." continues the retiree. "We are not heard. I contacted the public prosecutor in 2022, alerted everyone, to denounce the situation. In 70 years I have not had a disaster, since 2018 what we are experiencing is terrible."

Accompanied by Maître Fourrier, Roland and Thomas wanted to bring to the public a case that has been going on for 6 years in Lodève. Like a final call for help, to put an end to a nightmare against a backdrop of business transfer and family heartbreak. To finally turn the page, which is what everyone wants today. 

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