Courts / Dublin / Report

Woman who sued Facebook over hacked account resolves High Court action

Date
2021-03-04

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

A High Court action brought by Sylvia O'Mahoney, a South Dublin resident, against Facebook Ireland Ltd has been resolved. Ms O'Mahoney, from Foxrock, Co Dublin, alleged that a hacker took over her account in mid-December 2020, locking her out and sending unauthorized messages to her contacts. She claimed breaches of her constitutional right to privacy and GDPR rights, seeking injunctions to retrieve data and account activity records. Facebook opposed the action, denying culpability while accepting the account was hacked. The company argued it acted quickly to restore control and provided all requested information. Ms O'Mahoney's counsel, Jack Fitzgerald SC, informed Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds that the matter had been resolved and requested the court be struck out. Facebook's counsel, Rossa Fanning SC, consented to the strike out. No details of the confidential settlement terms were disclosed to the court. The proceedings, launched in January, were mentioned on several occasions before this final hearing. The court accepted the resolution, effectively concluding the litigation without a judgment on the merits.