Defamation

Professionals would overwhelmingly prefer judges to juries in defamation cases, a survey by business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran has found. The firm surveyed 140 attendees at its dispute resolution conference, of whom 95 per cent said they considered a judge would deliver more predictable outc

Dr Eoin O'Dell reminds Senator Michael McDowell, following his rebuke of social media platforms for online defamation, that he still has an opportunity to do something about it. Last week, in his column in The Irish Times, Michael McDowell took social media platforms to task for shirking their respo

Northern Ireland’s High Court has determined in a defamation case that the single correct meaning of impugned words used in a book and on the X platform was that solicitor Paul Tweed acted unprofessionally. Delivering judgment for the High Court of Northern Ireland, Mr Justice Adrian Colton ex

Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has donated €100,000 to charity following his victory in a high-profile defamation case brought against the BBC. In a statement yesterday, Johnsons Solicitors said the BBC have now discharged the order of the court in relation to the compensation of

The Supreme Court has determined that Iconic Newspapers Ltd could not rely on the defence of qualified privilege in respect of a publication which erroneously stated that William Bird featured on Revenue’s "tax defaulters list". Delivering judgment for the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Maurice Col

Government plans to tackle so-called SLAPPs are likely to be "impotent in practice" and could see Ireland hauled before the EU courts, legal experts and more than two dozen civil society organisations have warned. The Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024, which includes anti-SLAPP provisions alongside i

Legal proceedings have been issued against Disney in connection with a TV series which depicts the 1972 murder of Jean McConville. Belfast firm Phoenix Law is acting for prominent Irish republican Marian McGlinchey (née Price) in her defamation case over her Say Nothing, a historical drama re

The High Court has refused to stay defamation proceedings brought by media lawyer Paul Tweed against two companies responsible for the sale of a book alleged to contain defamatory material. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Anthony Barr confirmed that “the default position is

The High Court has refused an application to extend the one-year limitation period for defamation actions in respect of allegedly defamatory publications about a Jack and Jill Foundation board member. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Oisín Quinn found that the plaintiff coul

The Circuit Court has awarded €14,400 to a man whose daughter made defamatory statements about him during a baptism ceremony which was livestreamed on Facebook. Delivering judgment for the Circuit Court, His Honour Judge Meehan held that the statements amounted “to an assertion that the p

Retail and hospitality leaders have called on justice minister Jim O’Callaghan to address what they describe as a rising trend of “vexatious defamation litigation being entertained” in Irish courts, saying small businesses do not feel adequately protected under current law. In a le

William Fry lawyers Adele Hall, Paul Convery and Niamh McCabe look at the recent High Court decision in Casey v McMenamin, in which significant damages, including aggravated damages, were awarded for defamation arising from a Facebook post. Momentum towards the proposed reform of defamation laws was

An Irish business lobby group has accused lawyers of profiting from "abusive and vexatious defamation litigation". The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has criticised the government's Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024, which it says does not go far enough to protect small busines

The High Court has dismissed a cattle dealer's action alleging negligence and breach of contract against his former solicitor in relation to the handling of failed 2015 proceedings. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Alexander Owens determined that “Finbar Tolan has not proved

The Court of Appeal has allowed Google to be joined as a defendant in defamation proceedings relating to a YouTube video where the High Court had found the claim was statute-barred. Bernard Gilroy and Vincent Byrne allege they were defamed in a video posted to the video-sharing platform by Fiona O'L