(Pictured: Mr Peter Bellew. Credit: Collins)

A judge has ruled that Ryanair must only pay a portion of the legal costs of its former Chief Operations Officer Peter Bellew for having to defend the airline’s failed legal bid to block his move to rivals EasyJet.

Ryanair had sought to compel Mr Bellew to comply with a covenant that he would not join a competitor for a year following termination of work with Ryanair

Last month, when dismissing Ryanair’s action following an eight-day hearing, Mr Justice Senan ruled that a clause in Mr Bellew’s contract restraining him from working for another airline for 12 ….read more

(Pictured: Mr Justice Donald Binchy. Credit: Collins)

A High Court judge has said he will order the extradition of a Northern Irish man wanted in the UK to face multiple counts of manslaughter following the discovery of 39 dead Vietnamese nationals in a lorry trailer in Essex.

The UK authorities want Eamon Harrison (23) from Mayobridge, Co Down, to face 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and conspiracy to commit human trafficking under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act.

Mr Justice Donald Binchy said on Friday that he had received “very comprehensive” submissions from Mr Harrison’s legal team and that of ….read more

An Environmental Non-Governmental Organisation has launched a High Court challenge against the Environment Protection Agency’s decision to accept an application for the industrial extraction of peat.

The action has been brought by the Friends of the Irish Environment, which has asked the court to quash a decision made by the EPA last October to accept an application by a company called Harte Peat Ltd for an integrated Pollution Control licence for ongoing peat extraction at Finea in Co Westmeath.

In its action against the EPA, and where Harte Peat is a notice party, the NGO claims that the decision to accept the ….read more

A man claims he was defamed by two financial institutions over their alleged lengthy failure to forward maintenance payments in respect of his son to his former partner.

The man alleges that failures by Ulster Bank and EBS damaged his relationship with his son for many years because his former partner believed he was not making the maintenance payments.

The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, claims that after his relationship with his former partner ended many years ago, she obtained a court order requiring him to pay approximately €45 per week maintenance for his son.

He claims he set up ….read more

The High Court has ruled that a Volkswagen Passat and lady’s diamond-encrusted Rolex watch belonging to a Kildare couple were bought with the proceeds of crime.

Jerry Knee and Ann-Marie Cassidy, both 30 and from Athy, Co Kildare, appeared before Mr Justice Alexander Owens today and represented themselves after their barrister Desmond Hayes discharged himself.

The two items were seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau on May 29th, 2018 and Mr Justice Owens today appointed the chief legal officer of CAB to receive the items.

Mr Hayes discharged himself after Mr Justice Owens rejected the couple’s application for legal aid.
The barrister had ….read more

A High Court action taken by a well-known basketball club over a 30-day suspension imposed on 11 of its teams has been resolved.

Last week St Vincent’s Basketball Club in Dublin secured a temporary High Court injunction halting the imposition of a suspension imposed on its activities and teams, including its underage teams, by the Dublin Men’s Basketball Board (DMBB).

The injunction was granted on an ex-parte basis by Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds.

The suspension related to issues including the registrations of a number of adult players by the club.

When the matter returned before the High Court on Tuesday, Anthony Thuillier BL for ….read more

(Pictured: Ian Bailey. Credit: Collins)

A hearing into the proposed extradition of Ian Bailey to France, for the murder of filmmaker Sophie Toscan du Plantier, will take place in the High Court next month.

It is the third time French authorities have sought Mr Bailey’s surrender in relation to the death of Ms du Plantier, whose badly beaten body was found outside her holiday home in Schull in December 1996.

Mr Bailey, with an address at The Prairie, Liscaha, Schull, west Cork, was convicted of the Frenchwoman’s murder in his absence in a Paris court earlier this year. The three-judge Cour d’Assises ….read more

A Drogheda man who is charged with possession of a stolen motorbike and setting fire to a stolen car will appear before the High Court at Cloverhill tomorrow for alleged breaches of his bail conditions.

Garda Donal Clarke today at the Central Criminal Court told Emmett Nolan SC, for the State, that Paul Crosby (24), of Rathmullen Park in Drogheda, Co Louth was admitted to bail by the High Court on May 24 last year.

He is charged with possessing a stolen silver Yamaha motorcycle at Rathmullen Park on November 21, 2019. He is also charged with possession of a stolen ….read more

The High Court has approved a Personal Insolvency Arrangement (PIA) allowing a Clare-based man write down almost all of his €60m debts.

At the High Court on Monday, Mr Justice Mark Sanfey approved a PIA in respect of Enda Patrick Whelan of College Grove, Ennis, Co Clare.

Mr Whelan’s creditors include National Asset Loan Management (NALM), which is a company of Nama and was owed some €56.4m arising out of personal guarantees he had given in respect in respect of four companies owned by his family.

The firms were all part of the Whelan Group of companies, which were involved in the ….read more

The High Court has approved a Personal Insolvency Arrangement (PIA) for a Co Meath-based businessman with debts of over €2m.

The PIA was granted in favour of Neal Sweeney, of Liscarton House, Navan Co Meath.

The PIA is the first to be approved by the High Court which involves a debt for equity swap. The PIA was approved in a recent decision by Mr Justice Denis McDonald.

Mr Sweeney’s main secured creditor is financial fund Promontoria Scarriff DAC. Other creditors include Promontoria Finn Ltd, and Cabot Finance Ireland Ltd.

The application to approve Mr Sweeney’s PIA, where his main creditor has accepted a ….read more