Courts / Ireland / Report

Portakabin claims its being defamed in anonymous emails

Summary

Portakabin Ltd and Portakabin (Ireland) Ltd, manufacturers of modular buildings, have applied to the High Court for a Norwich Pharmacal order against Google Ireland Ltd. The company seeks details about a Gmail account, irishpeople2021@gmail.com, which it alleges has sent defamatory emails to its customers under the pseudonym 'John Smith'. The emails, beginning last month, contain untrue claims about the quality of Portakabin's products and services and are said to threaten the company's relationships with long‑standing customers. Portakabin requests contact information, credit card details, IP addresses and timestamps associated with the account. In a sworn statement, director Paul Newell noted that similar anonymous letters were sent in October 2020, prompting external consultants to investigate. The court granted permission to serve short notice of proceedings ex‑parte and adjourned the case to a June hearing. The company intends to pursue all legal remedies against the author of the emails.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Portakabin claims its being defamed in anonymous emails. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• October 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2021-05-19 Publication

Why: In order to get such details, a court order is required by the applicants. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report