Courts / Kerry / Report

O'Leary shouted "You are f¨¨king useless" at senior exec, High Court hears

Date
2019-12-13

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Killarney

County
Kerry

Summary

In a High Court hearing, Peter Bellew, Ryanair's Chief Operations Officer, testified that Michael O'Leary shouted at him during senior‑executive meetings, calling him "You are fucking useless." Bellew said O'Leary had criticised his performance in a November 2018 note and in a March 2019 annual review, and that the board had no issue with Bellew's performance. Bellew claimed O'Leary wanted him gone and that he would not have been fired until after Ryanair's September 2019 AGM. Bellew is being sued by Ryanair for allegedly breaching a 12‑month non‑compete clause by accepting a position with EasyJet. He denies any breach, arguing the clause is unenforceable and that he was misled about share‑option participation. The court will decide next Friday, possibly Monday, 23 December.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: O'Leary shouted "You are f¨¨king useless" at senior exec, High Court hears. Procedural stage: trial

When:

November 2018 Other
March 2019 Other
September 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
Monday, December 23rd Other
April 2019 Other
2019-12-13 Publication

Why: In the claim, denied by Mr Bellew, Ryanair says the COO cannot commence work with what it considers to be its main rival in the low fares aviation sector because of a 12-month non-compete clause in his contract of employment. CNI source report