Case Reports

Northern Ireland’s High Court has denied two interlocutory applications sought by environmental campaigners challenging the development of a gas storage facility at Islandmagee. The first application was for a strike-out of various parts of the respondent’s evidence, and the second was f

The Supreme Court has held that the recognition of foreign adoption orders of children born by commercial surrogacy arrangements was not contrary to public policy. This ruling was made despite the general prohibition on commercial adoptions in Ireland.

The High Court has refused an application brought by a plaintiff seeking that the band U2 respond to certain interrogatories regarding the writing for the song A Man And A Woman. The plaintiff claimed that he had written the song and performed it for Cindy Crawford in 1998 and sought €8 million

The District Court has granted a music licence to a publican on condition that the noise emissions from the venue would be limited to 85 decibels. A neighbour had objected to the grant of the licence to the Lamplighter pub on the basis that excessive sound levels were being produced by live music be

Northern Ireland’s High Court has determined that the Secretary of State for the Home Department (SSHD) may have breached its duty towards an asylum seeker in failing to provide her with a timely and accessible weekly allowance payment for a period of almost two months. The applicant was an as

A Luxembourg-based pharmaceutical company has succeeded in an action in the High Court of England and Wales in which it alleged that a drug manufacturing division of an NHS trust was in breach of a drug development agreement (DA) relating to a treatment for lung disease. SciPharm S.a.r.l claimed tha

The High Court has held that the parents of a child who was awaiting a decision on his international protection status did not have the right to work in the State while the application was being processed. It was said that the child had the right to access the labour market and that this could be ef

The Court of Appeal has quashed a conviction for sexual assault against a six-year-old child on the basis that the child could not remember the circumstances of the alleged assault. The child’s evidence of the allegations was crucial since there was no other corroborating evidence in the case.

The High Court has ruled that Mr Enoch Burke has until 23 March to pay €23,800 to Wilson’s Hospital School and, in the event that he fails to pay the monies, the school will be “at large” to enforce the fines. This included seeking the sequestration of Mr Burke’s assets,

The Supreme Court has held that the seizure of computer devices from an accused murderer’s home was unlawful in circumstances where gardaí failed to seek authority from the District Court when applying for a search warrant. While the gardaí always intended to search the digital c

A Deputy Judge of the High Court of England and Wales has granted permission for a Ukrainian father to withdraw an application under the Hague Convention of 1980 under which he sought the return of his two children to Kyiv. Applicant NW had remained in Ukraine under the requirements of martial law w

Northern Ireland’s High Court has rejected an application challenging a 2021 decision of the justice minister to refuse to make a payment to an applicant out of an ex gratia compensation scheme. The court found that the refusal was rational and reasonable.

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has determined that a 12-year sentence in relation to cultivating cannabis was not excessive, given the scope and value of the operation, and the control exercised by the accused. However, the court did reduce a separate sentence which had been applied concur

The High Court has awarded €92,500 in general damages to a woman who suffered multiple injuries in a significant head-on collision while driving her car. In so ruling, the court commented that there was nothing in the Personal Injuries Guidelines which prevented a court awarding a greater sum f

The High Court has directed that the full trial of the case involving Mr Enoch Burke and Wilson’s Hospital School will take place at the end of the month, despite the fact that the school had failed to comply with certain court directions. The school’s solicitors had been late in providi