A former resident of a mother and baby home in Cork has initiated a High Court damages action against the State, the HSE and the order of Catholic nuns who ran that facility.

The action has been brought by Caroline Donovan who was a resident of Bessborough House in Cork on two occasions, once in the mid 1980s and also for a period during the early 1990s.

She says that while a resident of Bessborough, which was located in Blackrock, Cork, she was subjected to physical and emotional abuse, which it is claimed amounted to a breach of her constitutional rights.

The action ….read more

The High Court has formally extended the period of protection granted to Norwegian Air and three related subsidiaries from its creditors to the maximum of 100 days.

In a report furnished to the court on Friday, the examiner Mr Kieran Wallace of KPMG said he “remains confident” that the airline can survive as a going concern if certain steps are taken.

The order extending the period of protection was granted by Mr Justice Michael Quinn, who fixed February 25th next for the hearing of any application by the examiner to formally approve a scheme of arrangement that would see the airline survive ….read more

(Pictured: Liam Campbell. Credit: Collins)

Liam Campbell, who was found civilly liable for the Omagh bombing, should not be surrendered to the Lithuanian authorities where he is suspected of international weapons trafficking, his lawyers have told the Court of Appeal.

Campbell, who has been battling extradition for more than 12 years, wants the three-judge court to overturn a decision by the High Court surrendering him to Lithuanian prosecutors who allege that he was involved in the smuggling of weapons in support of the Real IRA (RIRA) between the end of 2006 and early 2007.

Campbell (58) was arrested in Upper Faughart, Dundalk, Co ….read more

A High Court judge will write to UK authorities for clarification on post-Brexit extradition law in the case of a man wanted there for murder by allegedly “deliberately” running down another man driving his scooter.

Limerick man Keith Anthony McCarthy (40) is wanted in the UK for the alleged murder of Kerrin Repman (29) in Essex last year. Mr Repman was killed on April 15 in Harwich when his motorbike was hit by a BMW.

Mr McCarthy, who is also known as Keith Galvin, is also accused of grievous bodily harm with intent to a 79-year-old pensioner, who suffered multiple broken ….read more

The High Court has been told it is “unsafe in the current climate” to allow hare coursing take place and that the government is fully entitled not to allow the sport go ahead.

It was also untrue to say that coursing is being singled out or that it is being discriminated against because members of the government are opposed to the sport, the court also heard.

The remarks were made by Michael Cush SC when urging the court not to grant an injunction allowing coursing to re-commence during the currency of the current restrictions aimed at combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

The case made ….read more

Energia has launched High Court proceedings challenging a decision by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to prioritise applications for foreshore licences for certain development projects.

The proceedings have been brought by Energia Group Holdings DAC and two of its subsidiaries – Energia Renewables ROI Ltd and Energia Offshore Wind Ltd – which claim that the decision will delay two off-shore wind farm projects that they want to develop.

The court heard that in 2019, the two subsidiaries applied for foreshore licences in respect of two separate off-shore wind farm projects Energia proposes to develop.

The applications were made to ….read more

Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie has brought a “precautionary” High Court action against the Revenue Commissioners over a €587 million tax bill served on it after it acquired Allergen.

The €587m bill was reduced to zero liability on appeal to a Tax Appeals Commissioner (TAC). Revenue has appealed that decision to the High Court, arguing the commissioner did not have the jurisdiction to make that ruling.

The court heard that last year AbbVie acquired pharmaceutical company Allegan, which was headquartered and registered in Dublin, for US$63bn in return for cash and shares in AbbVie.

As part of that deal, shares in Allegan were cancelled as ….read more

(Pictured Conor Freeman. Collins)

The United States is no longer seeking the surrender of a Dublin computer hacker for the theft of over $2 million in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies after his conviction here, the High Court has heard this morning.

With the withdrawal of the extradition request, Conor Freeman is no longer facing a maximum possible sentence of 108 years in prison after a sentence of two years and 11 months was imposed on him here.

Siobhán Ni Chúlacháin BL, for the Attorney General, told High Court judge Mr Justice Paul Burns today that Freeman was already serving a sentence in ….read more

A High Court challenge has been brought against An Bord Pleanala’s refusal to grant permission for a development consisting of 64 housing units in Co Kildare.

The action has been brought by Athy-based Keshmore Homes Ltd (KHL), which had sought permission to develop the proposed units at a site in Kildare Town which is adjacent to an existing residential housing estate.

The proposed development consists of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses and eight apartments in a single two-storey block.

Permission for the development had been refused by Kildare County Council. KHL appealed that decision to An Bord Pleanala, which last November upheld the ….read more

The High Court has appointed liquidators to an Irish-registered company within the Norwegian Air group after hearing that the airline is to cease long-haul flights.

An examiner was appointed to the airline, which owes its creditors some US$5Bn, and several of its subsidiaries last month.

Arising out of its decision earlier this week to cease its long-haul services, the examiner to the companies Mr Kieran Wallace on Friday asked Mr Justice Michael Quinn to make an order winding up one of its Irish subsidiaries, Torskef Jorden Leasing Ltd (TLL).

The matter came before the judge on Friday morning, who adjourned proceedings until this ….read more