Don Tyson instructed his son, John, the chief executive, to scuttle the deal.

"There has been a longtime relationship between the company and Don Tyson and the party that's in power."

Don Tyson wanted to lower the price, the judge wrote.

Don Tyson, chairman of his family company, has pioneered in higher-margin chicken products.

And it has made Don Tyson a very wealthy man, worth an estimated $800 million.

Don Tyson became the company's president in 1966, three years after it went public.

"I'm sure Don Tyson doesn't want me to run it," he said.

Don Tyson, the company's chairman, valued the transaction at $212.4 million.

"Don Tyson should have played a role, but not by going behind his son's back."

Don Tyson, they say, has full confidence in his son.