Bridget Delaney loses most challenge to injury guidelines

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Bridget Delaney’s appeal at the Supreme Court was dismissed on 9 April 2024, leaving personal injury guidelines legally binding; the court declared part of the 2019 Act unconstitutional.

The seven-judge court found that legislation passed in 2021 had independently ratified the guidelines, giving them legal effect. Justice Haughton dissented from that finding.

The court also found that the Personal Injuries Assessment Board had acted lawfully in applying the guidelines to Delaney’s claim. It ordered Ireland and the Attorney General to pay her legal costs; the board was to pay its own.