Judge rules Gemma O'Doherty must appear before High Court to answer alleged contempt

Mr Justice Mark Sanfey has ruled that Gemma O'Doherty must appear before the High Court to answer allegations of contempt of court. The ruling followed a hearing in the High Court on Wednesday, 21 February 2024, in which Ms O'Doherty was absent. The contempt application arises from an injunction granted in June 2023, obtained by Edel Campbell of Kingscourt, County Cavan, following Ms Campbell's claim that Ms O'Doherty unlawfully published an image of her late son in connection with Covid-19 vaccination claims. The injunction restrains Ms O'Doherty from harassing Ms Campbell and publishing images of Ms Campbell and her family. Mr Justice Sanfey found that Ms O'Doherty had breached the order through statements made in video posts across multiple months. The judge noted that intimidation of the plaintiff had demonstrably continued after the injunction was granted and stated that journalism cannot be invoked to excuse such conduct. Ms O'Doherty's absence from the hearing was recorded by the court. The contempt application has been the subject of multiple adjournments since January 2024. In January, Ms O'Doherty's legal representatives withdrew from the case, with the court informed that she was out of the jurisdiction at that time. A further adjournment occurred in February to allow Ms Campbell's legal team to make submissions on whether email service of court documents was sufficient for a motion that could result in committal for contempt. Ms O'Doherty has consistently denied all allegations against her and intends to contest the contempt claim. She is required to appear before the High Court on Friday morning to answer the allegations. The case has also involved separate claims regarding third-party funding of Ms Campbell's legal proceedings, which Ms O'Doherty has disputed.