Defamation

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

The High Court has awarded €40,000 to a gas and plumbing company for defamatory reviews posted online by a disgruntled customer. Delivering an judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Conleth Bradley remarked that the untrue words describing the company “as 'cowboys', 'gangsters', 'absolut

The High Court has refused to stay Irish defamation proceedings against CNN on the basis that the plaintiffs should have issued proceedings in Washington DC, finding that the plaintiffs acted reasonably in issuing proceedings solely in Ireland. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Garr

Former presidential candidate Peter Casey has been awarded €140,000 in damages after he was defamed on Facebook by an anti-immigration activist. Kim McMenamin made "defamatory and malicious remarks" about Mr Casey's efforts to provide accommodation in Buncrana, Co Donegal for refugees fleeing t

Disney is facing legal proceedings 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 Price, who is depicted shooting Ms McConville in Say Nothing, a historical drama produced by FX and released la

Tim Carson places the statutory review of the Defamation Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 in context. Midway through the Long Vacation, the Northern Ireland Department of Finance quietly published its statutorily mandated Report on the Review of the Defamation Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

Gateley Legal NI legal director Jonathan Jackson discusses the key insights of a review of Northern Ireland's defamation laws. Published earlier this summer, the Department of Finance’s review of the Defamation Act (NI) 2022 analyses the 2022 Act’s implementation to date and identifies c

Landmark legislation abolishing juries in High Court defamation cases and introducing measures to tackle so-called SLAPPs will be published next week. The Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024 will make the most significant reforms to Irish defamation law in 15 years, following a public consultation on r

Business lobby groups have met with a junior minister in the Department of Justice to set out their call for a €75,000 cap on defamation awards. A delegation from ISME, which represents small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association (CSNA) met with

The Court of Appeal has determined that Iconic Newspapers Ltd could not rely on the defence of qualified privilege in respect of a publication which erroneously stated that the respondent featured on Revenue’s ‘tax defaulters list’. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Mr J

Northern Ireland's High Court has dismissed a "scandalous, frivolous and vexatious" defamation claim brought against Belfast journalist and author Malachi O'Doherty by Sinn Féin politician Gerry Kelly. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) welcomed yesterday's decision as "extremely signifi

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill has reached a settlement in a libel action against DUP MP Sammy Wilson. Pádraig Ó Muirigh, director of Ó Muirigh Solicitors, said: "The objective all along in this legal action was to correct the public record in relation to the date of knowle