Buckle your seatbelts, because this is a bit of a pickle.

I co-founded a liquor company with a family member four years ago, and it’s finally gaining traction. While I’ve been balancing a full-time job in corporate finance, my family member, who has the financial backing of a trust fund, has been working on the business full-time.

Initially, I was deeply involved, but over time, as the tasks became more operational, my role diminished—partly due to their repeated legal attempts to push me out of the business. My partner’s father, who is a partner at a major law firm and an investor in the company, has also engaged in what I consider predatory practices toward me.

We’ve now reached an inflection point, having secured placements in major nationwide retailers. However, they’re pressuring me to agree to a corporate conversion that would make them the sole member of the Board of Directors and reduce shareholder protections, citing the need to “run the business more efficiently.”

Complicating matters, my partner signed and executed a SAFE agreement and spent the funds without properly converting the company to a corporation. Now, they’re blaming me for holding up the investment process, despite the fact that it appears my partner may have committed fraud by executing a SAFE that requires corporate status, all without my approval.

They’re unwilling to buy me out at a fair valuation, and while I’m losing interest in the business, I’m conflicted about fighting them, given the significant time and capital they’ve invested in the venture.

However, I'm also conflicted given the significant amount of time I have invested as well.

What should I do?