Courts / Carlow / Report
Legal adoption would have caused fraction of distress, man tells High Court
Summary
Patrick 'Paddy' Farrell, 57, sued the State and St Patrick's Guild over his illegal adoption. He told Justice Denis McDonald that had he been legally adopted he would not have endured the distress he has suffered. Farrell, born Andre Donnelly in 1961, was placed with a family in Tullow and later reunited with his birth mother, Tressa Reeves, in 2013. He claims he was abused by the man who raised him and that the adoption was illegal, as confirmed by a medical report indicating post‑traumatic stress. Farrell alleges St Patrick's Guild and the State failed to protect his rights, misrepresented his location, and conspired to conceal information. The Guild denied the claims, and the judge dismissed the Guild's motion to strike out the case, allowing the matter to proceed on the High Court Personal Injury List.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Legal adoption would have caused fraction of distress, man tells High Court. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- March 13th, 1961 Other
- 2018-07-10 Publication
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