Eanna Donoghue, a former eBay customer support agent, claimed constructive dismissal after a written warning for a four‑minute period of inactivity on his computer. He said the warning followed a period of personal loss, including a friend's death, and that he had previously filed grievances against two operations managers. Donoghue's line manager, Niamh Seoighe, cited a screen recording showing he had not marked himself as available for up to five minutes after closing an email. The warning was upheld on appeal. Donoghue resigned on 5 March 2024, stating he was "unfairly treated" and forced to quit after the warning barred him from promotion. He has since found work as a motor mechanic and offered any compensation to charity. The tribunal will decide his claim by the end of April.
Three female students – Margaret Eyong Taku, Wendy Briggs and Christina Igweze – had their expulsions from Dundalk Institute of Technology overturned by the High Court after they contested the punishment for alleged violent altercations that took place on January 30 and 31, 2024. The students claimed the expulsions were disproportionate, that alternative sanctions had not been considered, and that no reason was given. They alleged that the incidents involved aggressive physical confrontations, including a head step, a wet‑floor warning sign, and hair pulling. A February 2024 committee recommended expulsion and campus bans, and an April appeals committee rejected all appeals. Mr Justice Anthony Barr remitted the case to a new appeals committee for fresh consideration, noting the potential impact on the students' education and careers. The students were undergraduate enrollees in the college's Bachelor of Science in Mental Health Nursing and Bioscience programmes.
A Commercial Court case involving former Morgan Stanley broker Jeffrey Leo has been adjourned to the end of the month after the plaintiffs' lawyers attempted to remove Wenning Holdings Ltd from the proceedings. The case centres on allegations that Leo misappropriated US$60m (€58m) given by American couple Mary and James Wenning to invest in a portfolio of Irish properties, including Dundrum House Hotel, Pillo Hotel, Tullamaine Castle, Golden Vale Hotel, Drumonna House, Celbridge Manor and Powerscourt Arms Hotel. The Wenning couple claim the money was advanced as a loan or in exchange for equity, while Leo denies the claims. Liquidator Kieran Wallace seeks orders making Leo personally liable for Wenning Holdings' debts, against former auditor Colm Malone, and against Leo Financial Investments Ltd and Steelworks Investments Ltd. The court noted that the removal of Wenning Holdings was part of a "narrowing" of proceedings that did not prejudice the defence.
Barry O'Brien‑Lynch, an estate agent, claimed he was unfairly dismissed by ES Reilly Estates Ltd (Sherry Fitzgerald Reilly). The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found it more likely than not that he had resigned during a phone call with his boss, Ed Reilly, on 17 February 2023. O'Brien‑Lynch said he had said, "I don't feel like going into work today. I'm going to turn around and go home," and later added, "I've enough of this. I'm done, I'm outta here." Reilly described the conversation as operational and said O'Brien‑Lynch had left the job. O'Brien‑Lynch did not attend work the following Monday, and the company did not expect him to return. The WRC concluded he had resigned, not been dismissed, and dismissed his claim for unfair dismissal. The decision was made by adjudication officer David James Murphy. The case involved no further legal outcomes beyond the WRC ruling.
A seven‑year‑old girl with Down Syndrome has been granted permission by the High Court to challenge the Health Service Executive's decision not to carry out an assessment of her needs. Derek Shortall SC, acting for the mother, applied for a judicial review and obtained a ruling from Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger that the case could proceed. Shortall argued that the HSE's position that it would not conduct an assessment was a refusal to meet statutory obligations. He noted that the child, who has health, developmental, psychological and intellectual issues, has received some services since 2018 but has not had a complete assessment that would trigger a service statement. The court allowed the review and adjourned the matter to May, recognising the seriousness of the alleged breach of procedure. The case remains pending.
Kate Brennan, a former executive officer at Trinity College Dublin, won an unfair dismissal claim and was awarded €15,000 in compensation by the Workplace Relations Commission. Brennan's dismissal on 30 August 2023 was deemed unfair because the college had effectively met the minimum service requirement of the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, making the termination date 29 September 2023. Brennan was out of work until 29 April 2024, when she accepted a new role with a 25% lower salary. The tribunal found that Brennan had turned down a higher‑paid offer from another employer and had not made a sufficient effort to secure alternative employment, citing her limited job search strategy. Consequently, the tribunal reduced her award, granting no compensation for prospective financial loss while upholding the €15,000 award for the unfair dismissal itself.
The High Court refused a 31‑year‑old Georgian man's request to challenge the International Protection Office's refusal to grant him asylum. He had claimed that if returned to Georgia he would face religious persecution as a Jehovah's Witness. The IPO found his knowledge of the faith lacking, citing incorrect answers about baptism, the archangel Michael, the 144,000, and other doctrinal points. The IPO also deemed his claims of threat and assault unsubstantiated. He appealed to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal, which rejected his appeal, citing his substantial lack of knowledge and lack of explanation for it. He then sought judicial review, arguing the Tribunal had erred in its interpretation of the religion and had omitted relevant material. Justice Siobhán Phelan dismissed the application, describing the complaints as trivial and tenuous and refusing leave to pursue the challenge. The case remains at the High Court level with no further action granted.
A manager who had taken time off for IVF treatment was told upon her return that her job was being made redundant. She had informed her employer in November 2021 that she would embark on IVF and had stepped back from a managerial role to reduce stress. She began as an assistant manager in September 2020, became manager in July 2021, and took a fortnight's leave in January 2022 for her first embryo transfer. Further transfers were planned for March and May, and she took leave for those as well. After the first transfer she returned to work, only to receive a letter on 3 February 2022 stating her role was redundant. She finished before the termination date of 20 February and was paid in lieu of notice. The Workplace Relations Commission found no consultation had taken place and ruled the dismissal unfair, awarding €10,000 in compensation. The decision was anonymised due to the private medical details.
A migrant farm labourer, Sruh Ak, claims he was underpaid and overworked at Tiernaneill Mushrooms Ltd. He says his employer's timesheets under‑reported his hours, while his own records, including timestamped selfies, show he worked up to 60‑hour weeks and over 77 hours in a single seven‑day period. Ms Pretty Ndawo, an advocate from the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland, presented evidence that the company's recorded hours for a week starting 23 March 2024 were 37, whereas Ak's records show 60.77 hours, with wages paid at €522 based on the lower figure. The company's representative, Peter Dunlea, explained that pay was calculated on a "pick rate" rather than hourly, and that a clock‑in system, the I‑Grow system, was not used during Ak's employment. The tribunal adjourned the case for an in‑person hearing, noting the complexity of the evidence and the lack of a clock‑in system.
An E‑Health director at the Health Service Executive (HSE), Louise Callanan, secured a High Court interim order restraining the HSE from terminating her contract on 3 April 2025. Callanan, who works as an Assistant National Director for the South/Southwest Hospital Group, claims she was mis‑described as a permanent employee when she applied in October 2021, but was later told her contract was fixed‑term for a specified purpose. She alleges she was penalised after making a protected disclosure in 2023 about a contract with a health information management company that failed to conduct full data protection assessments. Callanan says she faced unfair supervision, cancelled meetings, and limited budget and workforce allocation. The court granted the injunction and adjourned the case to Friday, with the HSE's letter dated 25 March 2025 cited as evidence of an administrative error. The order temporarily prevents the HSE from terminating her employment.
A former part-time administrator with Inland Fisheries Ireland has lost a constructive dismissal claim at the Workplace Relations Commission. Joanna Canney, who worked for the agency for fifteen years on a €31,000-annual salary, resigned in August 2022 following a media report and Freedom of Information request concerning a commercial arrangement she and her husband held to manage holiday accommodation at an Inland Fisheries property in County Mayo. Ms Canney alleged she was subjected to a smear campaign and suffered undue pressure regarding the leasing deal. Adjudicator Louise Boyle found that while management conduct lacked professionalism and empathy at times, the agency had legitimate responsibilities to process the FOI request. The adjudicator noted Ms Canney had indicated willingness to move forward after the commercial arrangement ended in October 2021, and that she had not filed a formal grievance before resigning. The complaint was rejected.
A tribunal ruled that RTÉ had acted unlawfully by failing to pay Mary McLoughlin the salary set out in her contract of employment, after the broadcaster admitted it had accidentally doubled her salary in an administrative error. The Workplace Relations Commission found that the error had increased her pay by about 103%, but the tribunal made a nil award because the breach of the Payment of Wages Act 1991 did not entitle her to compensation. McLoughlin, a copy‑taker who joined RTÉ in 1996 and retired in 2023, had been working under a series of fixed‑term part‑time contracts. She alleged that she was not paid the salary specified in her second post‑retirement contract for nine hours a week on 'Liveline' from 4 April to 4 October 2024.
Court proceedings in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 31 March 2025 found Courtney Fitzpatrick, aged 26, and Leah York, aged 22, guilty of money laundering for possessing proceeds of crime. The offence stemmed from a Revolut scam that cost a doctor €11,000. The doctor received a call from an unknown person claiming to be a Revolut agent, who told her her account was compromised and requested app access. The caller then transferred €5,500 to each woman's account, which was subsequently moved into a cryptocurrency account. The women were identified and interviewed by Gardaí; they did not name the scammer, citing fear. The judge noted their cooperation but also that they were aware the activity was criminal. He imposed a one‑year sentence on each, suspended on the condition that each pays €1,500 to the doctor within nine months. The sentences were suspended to punish and deter future gullibility.
Skyline View Ltd, a subsidiary of JMK Hospitality Group, was ordered to pay former head of operations Mark Langham €125,000 for unfair dismissal. The company claimed it had reduced operational needs in Ireland after renewing a €23 million deal to rent its Holiday Inn at Dublin Airport to the State's International Protection Accommodation Services as a direct provision centre, and cited financial considerations. Langham said the real reason was a personality clash with Sonia Kajani, the founder's daughter, and that the redundancy process was a "cloak" for his removal. The tribunal found no evidence that the company was in a financial position to justify the redundancy and that the dismissal breached the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. The award was the first six‑figure sum granted by the Workplace Relations Commission in 2025. The case remains at the unfair dismissal stage, with no further verdicts announced.
The Workplace Relations Commission heard an equality complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 brought by Viktorija Danilova against TikTok. Ms Danilova, an ad service specialist, alleged discrimination on grounds of family status and race during a collective redundancy process that eliminated 150 multilingual support roles. She claimed she was the only mother on maternity leave in her team to be made redundant and that her assignment to the Russian market was used to justify her dismissal despite her working on multiple markets. TikTok's counsel, Kiwanna Ennis BL, instructed by A&L Goodbody, argued the redundancies were driven by business rationale, specifically advancements in AI technology reducing the need for language skills. The employer stated that selection was based on the market for which employees were originally hired, a method agreed upon in collective consultations, and that Ms Danilova was treated the same as other staff in the Russian market. Ms Ennis noted that the redundancy process was paused during Ms Danilova's protective leave after she expressed unhappiness, and that the company is considering applying to have the complaints struck out. Adjudicator Pat Brady adjourned the matter to consider whether a prima facie case has been made out. If he concludes it has, the hearing will be rescheduled; if not, he will issue a decision disposing of the matter.
The High Court civil trial between Web Summit shareholders ended after parties reached a settlement. Founder Paddy Cosgrave, who had sued minority shareholder David Kelly for fiduciary breaches, and Kelly, who had sued Cosgrave and Daire Hickey for shareholder oppression, agreed to resolve their disputes. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Michael Twomey, scheduled the case for mention on 29 April and adjourned it until next month. The parties, including former director Daire Hickey, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. No details of the settlement were disclosed. The case had involved five separate actions and was expected to last up to nine weeks. The resolution was announced after talks outside Court 29 in the Four Courts. The parties thanked their legal teams and families for support. The settlement was reached before any further evidence was presented. The case was adjourned for a future hearing.
In a WRC hearing, adjudicator Patricia Owens ordered fintech consultancy Bankhawk to pay €64,080 in withheld commission to applicant Ian Armstrong. Armstrong, a former sales lead made redundant in March 2024, claimed he was owed €117,680 in commission, with an agreement to pay half in late 2023 and the remainder in early 2024. Bankhawk, represented by applicant Eamon Gibney, alleged Armstrong made no sales in 2023 and attempted to use the unpaid commission as leverage to force him to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) after the company failed to retain the original signed copy. The company also claimed it had overpaid Armstrong €60,000 in 2022, a position the adjudicator found not credible. Ms. Owens found clear evidence that the parties agreed on a 10% commission rate and that Armstrong's calculations were correct. She noted that Bankhawk's inability to produce a signed NDA due to poor document management procedures could not excuse the non-payment of monies owed. The adjudicator awarded €57,680 for the commission due at the end of the first quarter of 2024 and a further €6,480 for 10% commission on sales concluded before his employment ended, totaling €64,080.
The High Court civil case involving Web Summit co‑founders reached a settlement after morning talks. The court had been scheduled to hear evidence from former director Daire Hickey, but proceedings were adjourned as lawyers negotiated outside Court 29. Barrister Michael Cush SC, representing former director David Kelly, reported that negotiations had not yet produced a result but were progressing. Mr Justice Twomey adjourned the case to 2 pm, and later that afternoon the legal teams of all three parties sat with the judge. Cush announced that a settlement agreement would be drafted overnight and presented to the court the next morning. The case, which began last week, involved Paddy Cosgrave suing Kelly for alleged breaches of fiduciary duties, while Kelly and Hickey sued Cosgrave for shareholder oppression and profit‑sharing breaches. The judge urged the parties to resolve their differences and highlighted the potential costs of prolonged litigation. The matter was adjourned until 11 am tomorrow for finalisation.
The High Court civil trials involving three former Web Summit directors were adjourned to allow settlement talks. The court was set to hear evidence from former director Daire Hickey, but proceedings were postponed as lawyers and parties negotiated outside Court 29. Barrister Michael Cush SC, representing former director David Kelly, informed Justice Michael Twomey that negotiations had not yet succeeded but that time had not been wasted. Justice Twomey adjourned the case until 2 pm. Paddy Cosgrave, majority shareholder, is suing Kelly for alleged breaches of fiduciary duties, while Kelly and Hickey, who hold 12 % and 7 % of shares respectively, sue Cosgrave for shareholder oppression and breach of a profit‑sharing agreement. The judge urged the parties to resolve their differences, warning that a prolonged litigation could lead to appeals and a final judgment that might not satisfy any of them. The case, which opened last week, was scheduled to run for nine weeks.
Michael Murphy, a solicitor at the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) office since 2002 and a prosecutor since 2017, has lodged a complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 alleging discrimination because he is a recovering alcoholic. He claims the DPP denied him the opportunity to prepare a murder case and failed to transfer him out of the District Court section, which he describes as an "A&E environment." Murphy disclosed his alcoholism to his line manager after a seven‑week residential treatment in early 2019, stating he had been dealing with anxiety, depression and sleepless nights related to court work. He has sought a less court‑heavy post since February 2021 but has not succeeded. The DPP's chief prosecution solicitor, Helena Kiely, acknowledged awareness of his condition but cited pandemic staffing pressures and the need to staff a sexual offences unit as reasons for not granting a transfer.
In the High Court, Mr Justice Michael Twomey urged the three co-founders of Web Summit to resolve their disputes rather than proceed with litigation, citing the personal costs involved. The proceedings, which opened last Tuesday and are scheduled for nine weeks, involve five separate actions. Daire Hickey, holding 7% of shares, and Dara Kelly, holding 12%, are suing majority shareholder Paddy Cosgrave for alleged shareholder oppression and breaches of a profit-sharing agreement. Conversely, Mr Cosgrave is suing Mr Kelly for alleged breaches of fiduciary duties as a director. During opening statements, counsel Bernard Dunleavy SC, representing Mr Cosgrave, alleged that the actions by Mr Hickey and Mr Kelly were driven by greed and an attempt to avoid a discount on potential share sales, claiming they "betrayed this business." Following the judge's remarks, Mr Dunleavy reported a "positive level of engagement" and "progress" in the case. He requested an adjournment to allow parties to consider the judge's comments. Mr Justice Twomey subsequently adjourned the case until 11am the following morning. The matter was adjourned and not concluded.
Naomi Hanlon, a nanny employed by Emer McGrath from August 2020 to December 2023, brought a complaint under the Employment Equality Act 1998 alleging that her employer's attitude changed after she disclosed her pregnancy and that she was dismissed on fabricated grounds. The Workplace Relations Commission heard that during a performance review on 2 October 2023, Ms McGrath claimed Ms Hanlon had said she would not return to work, a statement Ms Hanlon denied. She said the meeting was awkward and that her relationship with her employer became cold and sparse. Ms McGrath emailed Ms Hanlon on 5 December 2023 stating her employment would end on 14 March 2024, and after further correspondence the nanny was terminated on 31 December 2023. Ms Hanlon's solicitor argued that the dismissal was not linked to her pregnancy and that Ms McGrath had attempted to coerce resignation before resorting to spurious grounds.
In March 2025, Joseph Foster, a driver for STL Logistics Ltd, a Guinness keg delivery subcontractor, won a nearly €7,000 award after being dismissed for gross misconduct in November 2023. The dismissal followed an allegation by a pub owner that Foster had offered "kegs for cash" and that three kegs were missing from a delivery of fourteen. Foster denied any wrongdoing, claiming one missing keg was accidentally left on the truck and that CCTV footage used by STL was "doctored" and incomplete. An adjudication officer found the dismissal unfair, noting that the company failed to properly investigate the complaint, provide Foster with a fair opportunity to defend himself, and that the CCTV evidence was unreliable. Foster was awarded €4,500 for unfair dismissal and €2,324 for unpaid notice, totaling €6,834. The decision was upheld on appeal.
The owners of Ryevale House, an 18th‑century property in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, secured a temporary injunction from the High Court to stop nine named defendants from harassing or intimidating residents, staff or contractors. The injunction was sought after a protester threatened a foreman, saying the water‑connection works would not start unless the contractor was prepared to hit him with a bucket from his digger. The house, which began housing 93 female asylum seekers in March 2023, had a contract with the International Protection Accommodation Services office. The owners argued that protesters had regularly picketed the site, blocked the open space where the new water main was to be installed, and threatened the safety of contractors. The court granted the interim injunction and adjourned the matter to the following week.
A manager at a workwear and safety supplier, Louise O'Connor, has won €10,025 in compensation after being dismissed following her reporting of safety issues at the company's warehouse. The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that her dismissal was an 'operative reason' for her reporting a fall on a damaged floor. O'Connor joined the firm in February 2024 as a retail manager with 28 years of experience in the industry. She reported a fall in April 2024, which she and a colleague addressed by taping the hole and placing a warning sign. Despite this, the company did not fix the unsafe floor. O'Connor was dismissed in May 2024, with the employer citing 'inadequate performance and poor attitude' as the reason. The WRC found that the company breached the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act, 2005, and concluded that the fall and its reporting were key factors in her dismissal.
In a High Court hearing, Web Summit co‑founder Paddy Cosgrave is accused by lawyers of attempting to blackmail former director Daire Hickey into surrendering his shares. The case involves a multi‑million‑euro dispute between Cosgrave and minority shareholders Hickey and David Kelly. Cosgrave is suing Kelly for alleged breach of duty, while Hickey and Kelly claim minority shareholder oppression and breach of a profit‑sharing agreement. Counsel for Cosgrave alleges that Kelly created a rival tech investment fund, whereas counsel for Hickey argues that Cosgrave spent company money to defend himself in these proceedings, with legal costs potentially reaching €7 million. The court heard that Cosgrave received a €1 million sign‑on bonus in April last year and that his remuneration increased dramatically during the period when Hickey was denied basic financial information. The case is scheduled to last nine weeks before Mr Justice Michael Twomey.
A Workplace Relations Commission adjudicator ordered Irish Studio Media Publishing Limited, publisher of IrishCentral.com, to pay €12,000 to Sinead Behan for unfair dismissal. The hearing, presided over by Adjudicator Máire Mulcahy, found that while Behan's employment ended due to genuine redundancy following the cessation of five magazine titles, the company's consultation process was inadequate. The adjudicator described the consultation as a "tick-box exercise" that was initiated at short notice and failed to explore alternatives or allow Behan to be accompanied. Although the company argued that financial losses and a diminished need for the publishing director role justified the termination, the tribunal concluded the process rendered the dismissal unfair. Behan, who had worked for the company since 2003, had received only €8,331 of the estimated €25,332 statutory redundancy due. The adjudicator rejected Behan's separate claim for statutory redundancy under the Redundancy Payments Act 1967, noting that the company had already made partial payments. The final decision awarded €12,000 as fair and equitable compensation for the unfair dismissal, concluding the matter with this specific financial order.
In a Commercial Court hearing, Paddy Cosgrave, chief executive of Web Summit, sued former director David Kelly for alleged disloyalty, claiming Kelly set up a rival tech investment fund while still a director, seeking over €10 million in damages. Kelly, a 12 percent shareholder in Manders Terrace, the holding company behind Web Summit, countersued Cosgrave and the company for shareholder oppression and breach of a profit‑sharing agreement. Mediation failed last week and both parties deny the allegations. Cosgrave's counsel described the dispute as a "bitter divorce" and alleged that Kelly's creation of a competing fund, "Semble", deprived Web Summit of the opportunity to capitalize on its earlier fund, Amaranthine. The case, which began today, is scheduled to continue for nine weeks.
Kaitlyn Winston, a 19‑year‑old maternity care assistant, claimed she was forced to quit after a porter sexually assaulted her on 3 May 2022 by putting his hands on her waist. An independent investigation upheld the assault on the balance of probabilities. The porter, a man in his 30s, was kept employed after a disciplinary process that issued a final written warning, removed his allowance and transferred him to a different department. Winston returned to work in February 2023, encountered the porter twice that day, and felt unsupported and intimidated. She took sick leave on 24 February and resigned on 4 May 2023, citing lack of management support and that her complaint was not taken seriously. The Workplace Relations Commission rejected her unfair dismissal and employment equality claims, ruling that the hospital had taken reasonable steps to protect her and that her resignation was not a constructive dismissal. The case is now subject to appeal.
A Brazilian man has pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to operating a network of brothels across rural Ireland using falsified documents and landlord deception. Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro, aged 54, rented ten properties under a false Italian identity, with two located in Roscommon Town and others in Longford, Cavan, Leitrim, Carlow, Wexford and Kildare between 2018 and 2023. When arrested at Dublin Airport in November 2023, gardaí from the Human Trafficking and Co-ordination Unit recovered approximately €788,000 in proceeds of crime across multiple bank accounts. He also pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material on his phone comprising nine images and sixteen videos. Ribeiro entered guilty pleas to nineteen sample counts including fraud, inducing landlords to rent properties under false pretences, and possession of criminal proceeds. The investigation began following trafficking allegations from two women who identified properties being misused as brothels. Ribeiro has remained in custody since his arrest. Sentencing proceedings are scheduled for 21 March.
Colette Quinn, former chief superintendent and head of the national youth diversion programme, lost an age discrimination claim after being forced to retire at 60 in September 2022. Quinn argued that she was "forced to retire" and that her successor, a civilian principal officer, could retire at 70, implying ageist treatment. The Workplace Relations Commission rejected her claim, noting that Quinn had a 38‑year career, joined the force at 21, and held senior positions. The commission found no discrimination, stating that the mandatory retirement age of 60 was objectively justified for Gardaí to maintain equality, fairness, operational efficiency, and to avoid industrial relations claims. The decision also noted that the role was not advertised after Quinn's retirement and that the lack of an open competition was "at face value, unfair," but this did not negate the legitimacy of the mandatory retirement policy.
Aoife McHugh, a senior scientist at Rinocloud Limited, won a decision from the Workplace Relations Commission awarding her €11,500 in addition to a statutory redundancy lump sum after she returned from maternity leave to find the company closed. McHugh had begun maternity leave on 20 February 2023 and was scheduled to return on 6 November 2023. She was given a redundancy warning on 23 February and told she would receive a month's notice pay and payment in lieu of statutory leave entitlements, but received none. The company closed in 2023, and McHugh was locked out of IT systems. The tribunal found no evidence of pregnancy discrimination, noting the company's closure was due to financial difficulties.
Three female students – Margaret Eyong Taku, Wendy Briggs and Christina Igweze – have taken a joint High Court challenge against their expulsions from Dundalk Institute of Technology. They allege that the college imposed disproportionate sanctions without providing reasons or considering alternative measures. The expulsions followed four alleged violent altercations between the students, three on campus and one off campus, that took place on 30 and 31 January 2024. The incidents involved physical aggression, including a head stomp, a wet‑floor warning sign, and the pulling out of hair. A disciplinary committee recommended expulsion in February 2024, and an Appeals Committee rejected the students' appeals in April. The students were granted judicial review in July 2024. At the High Court hearing, counsel argued that the appeals committee failed to explain its decision and that the sanctions were disproportionate. The judge said he would reserve judgment.
Patricia Higgins, a part‑time office worker at Cruinniú Bia Ltd, was made redundant after she complained that a tradesman was cutting a hole in the roof above her desk with an angle grinder. Higgins had worked for the company for 14 years, returning from maternity leave in 2017. In May 2022 she reported to a new desk, but a tradesman began cutting a skylight above her. She stayed in place, later moving her equipment each time she was told to relocate. Higgins wrote a health and safety complaint, alleging risk and harassment, and agreed to investigate it formally in July. On 8 August 2022 she was informed of redundancy with no appeal mechanism. The Workplace Relations Commission found the company had breached the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Protection of Employees (Part‑Time Work) Act 2001, awarding her €20,000 in compensation for penalisation and unequal treatment.
In a hearing at Lansdowne House, Dublin 4, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) set to consider statutory complaints against Huawei Technologies (Ireland) Co Ltd by former employee Wei Luo. Luo alleges discrimination, constructive dismissal, and breaches of the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977, the Payment of Wages Act 1991 and the Employment Equality Act 1998. Huawei's representative, Daire Ferguson, requested an adjournment because several witnesses could not attend. The WRC granted the adjournment, with a new hearing likely in late April. Huawei intends to call three witnesses – Luo's former line manager, an HR employee and a current employee who can speak to equality and inclusion policies – though the relevance of the latter was questioned. Luo's side has no witnesses but will rely on documents. The adjudicator emphasised that the case would proceed once the new date is set, even if witnesses are missing. The specific allegations remain undisclosed.
The High Court has granted a second stay on Workplace Relations Commission proceedings within a fortnight, following an application by Vincent Maughan of Crossmolina, County Mayo. Mr Maughan, a former retained firefighter with Mayo County Council, claims he was prejudiced by the adjudicating officer and that she should have recused herself from the case. Permission for judicial review was granted, and Mr Justice Micheál P O'Higgins issued an injunction pausing the WRC hearing scheduled for today. Mr Maughan contends that the adjudication officer violated fair procedures requirements, breached public justice principles by conducting remote hearings without public accessibility, and refused recusal without allowing proper legal representation. He seeks declarations that the respondent acted unlawfully and that he is entitled to professional recording and transcription of proceedings. The case has been adjourned to April. Mr Maughan resigned from his position on 6 April 2023 and subsequently lodged complaints to the WRC regarding alleged breach of his statutory employment rights.
A remote worker from Monaghan brought a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission against her employer, PFH Technology Group Ltd, regarding her redundancy payment. The complainant, who had worked as a scheduler and administrative assistant since October 2018 and was based remotely, received notice in April 2024 requiring her to relocate to the company's Cork office within four weeks. She stated this was impossible given her Monaghan residence and that no alternative arrangements were discussed. She subsequently took stress leave, and in July was presented with a termination agreement described as a gesture of goodwill. The employer's representative confirmed that a statutory redundancy payment of €7,788 had been correctly calculated and paid in September 2024, and submitted that other grievances fell outside the scope of redundancy legislation. Adjudicating officer Una Glazier-Farmer said she would issue her decision by email in due course.
The mother of a five‑year‑old boy with autism, who was told she must wait six years to access HSE services, has asked the High Court to review the proposed time frame. She says the boy's assessment application was made on 13 December 2022, but the HSE's own timetable would have had it started on 13 February 2023 and finished by 13 May 2023. The report, received on 16 October 2024, confirmed the boy met the criteria for autism spectrum disorder and showed significant delays across motor, language, cognitive and social‑emotional domains. She argues that a six‑year wait until May 2028 would cause significant harm to his health and education. The court granted permission for a judicial review, reserved costs and adjourned the case to April. The case is now set for a hearing.
Former Dundalk FC chief operations officer Martin Connolly now works shifts in a factory after his dismissal from the club last year. Connolly alleged that former owner Brian Ainscough did not conduct due diligence before taking over the club in November 2023, a deal that lasted only two weeks. He claims the dismissal was unfair, citing a brief conversation on 26 February 2024 where he was told to leave and that he was not given a notice period. Connolly was paid until May 2024 under a clause for three months' pay in lieu of notice, but he says he was not informed in writing. He applied for several jobs before taking a temporary factory role at Amgen in September 2024, earning just under €43,000 a year. The Workplace Relations Commission heard evidence of his loss of earnings and the dispute over the club's liability for those losses. The tribunal will decide in due course.
A civil servant, Declan Cosgrave, has lost his challenge to his dismissal from the Department of Foreign Affairs following a data breach and the discovery of an unauthorised computer in the basement of the Passport Office in Dublin in 2022. The Workplace Relations Commission upheld the Department's decision to sack him, citing sustained unauthorized access to the restricted passport database. Cosgrave, who had worked for the State for 37 years, denied deliberately breaching the secure access system. The State argued that his explanations for the logins were not credible and that he had accessed the database over a prolonged period, violating IT policies. The tribunal found that the Department had followed fair procedures and that dismissal was a reasonable response. The data breach was uncovered after an unauthorized computer was found in the basement, leading to an investigation that revealed the use of compromised credentials to access the database.
Keith Farrell, a 50‑year‑old former DJ from Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material. He was found with 2,868 images in deleted files on a MacBook, including 1,300 sexual images and 458 depicting child exposure. The court noted no aggravating factors such as prior convictions or distribution. Judge Martin Nolan imposed a fully suspended two‑year sentence on strict conditions, following higher court advice that non‑custodial options are appropriate when no aggravating factors exist. Farrell cooperated during the search, provided passwords, and admitted the offences. He has no previous convictions, is not currently employed due to health issues, and is receiving social welfare. The case was investigated after a referral to Gardaí and involved Google's infrastructure in May 2021. The court considered his personal circumstances, including a difficult upbringing, substance use, and caregiving responsibilities. The sentence is suspended, with no custodial term imposed.
In a High Court decision on 5 March 2025, Bank of Ireland was ordered to pay a €350,000 settlement to a woman and her partner after the bank's data was allegedly released to the woman's estranged father. The father used the confidential transaction data to locate the couple abroad and stalk them, causing psychological trauma. The woman claimed a breach of duty, privacy and confidence, while the bank denied any breach and made no admission of how the data reached the father. The settlement, reached without admission of liability, allocates €275,000 to the woman and €75,000 to her partner. The court also awarded the plaintiffs costs up to 9 October 2023, and noted that cases against the father and his firm could be struck out without costs. The settlement reflects the bank's acknowledgment of falling short of expected standards.
The High Court has ordered a halt to Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) hearings in a case brought by Bridget Casey-Mulligan, a senior civilian manager at Garda headquarters. Mr Justice Garrett Simons granted an interim injunction after finding grounds to suggest WRC adjudication officer Máire Mulcahy exceeded her jurisdiction by imposing reporting restrictions. Ms Casey-Mulligan, who alleged whistleblower penalisation and unlawful salary deduction, sought judicial review regarding these restrictions and a separate challenge concerning the adjudicator taking external advice during a recess. Justice Simons expressed concern that the adjudicator purported to impose her own reporting limits, citing Supreme Court precedent on the publicity of adjudication proceedings. He granted leave for the judicial review into the adjudicator's conduct and the press direction. However, he refused an application to restrict reporting on Ms Casey-Mulligan's medical situation, noting the irony of a party seeking anonymity while challenging others' naming, though he allowed the application to be renewed later. The matter was adjourned pending the High Court's consideration of the legal challenge to the WRC's procedural directions. The application was brought ex-parte against the adjudicator, with the Government, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Garda Commissioner identified as notice parties.
Lawyers for senior Garda civilian manager Bridget Casey‑Mulligan claim anonymity directions are being misused by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). They intend to seek a High Court injunction to stop the WRC's order that the press cannot name the senior official who is the subject of a dignity‑at‑work complaint. Casey‑Mulligan's case, which involves alleged whistleblower penalisation and unlawful pay deductions, was scheduled for a second hearing day but she did not attend. Her barrister, David Byrnes, presented a medical certificate citing severe stress from the WRC proceedings. The WRC adjudicator, Máire Mulcahy, noted that the case could proceed with public hearings if no mediation occurs. Byrnes argued that anonymity should be granted for the senior official, Mr Y, who is no longer with the Gardaí, and that the WRC's direction to the press is "scandalous." The adjudicator said she would consider preliminary matters and that the case could be paused until a stenographer arrived.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has set a deadline for the State and a senior Garda civilian manager, Bridget Casy‑Mulligan, to resolve a penalisation complaint by tomorrow or the case will proceed to public hearings. The complaint, lodged under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Payment of Wages Act 1991, involves claims against the Garda Commissioner, the Minister for Public Expenditure and the government. The WRC had scheduled hearings for three days this week at Lansdowne House, Dublin 4. During a short hearing, adjudicator Máire Mulcahy noted that the parties had previously sought a mediator but none was available, and that the case had been adjourned in September. Mulcahy said the parties were working to source an external mediator and that if a mediator could not be found, the hearing would proceed tomorrow.
The High Court has placed a stay on the extradition of a 66-year-old man from Arva, Co Cavan, who is wanted in Northern Ireland for the murder of a part-time Ulster Defence Regiment member in 1979. James Donegan faces charges relating to the death of Joseph James Porter at Mountnorris, Co Armagh, in June of that year. He is also charged with firearm and ammunition offences and membership of a proscribed organisation. Mr Justice Patrick McGrath had previously ordered Mr Donegan's surrender to UK authorities, but has now granted a stay to permit an appeal of the extradition decision. Mr Donegan was arrested at Dublin Airport in June following his return from holiday. He has maintained his innocence. The Northern Ireland authorities issued the extradition warrant following a post-mortem examination that established Mr Porter died of gunshot wounds.
In a High Court hearing on 20 February 2025, the case concerning the closure of a historic Franciscan church in Clonmel was struck out after the Abbey House Prayer Group ended its illegal sit‑in. The group had occupied the Friary Church since New Year's Eve 2024, protesting the Franciscan Order's decision to close the 13th‑century building. The prayer group had previously been allowed temporary use of the church under a May 2023 agreement. Mr Justice Brian Cregan had sought an undertaking from Patrick O'Gorman, the group's chairman, that the sit‑in would cease. O'Gorman confirmed the group would vacate the church by midnight 23 January, acknowledging the protest was illegal. After receiving this undertaking, the judge struck out the case without further orders, recognising the church's imminent closure as a "devastating loss" to the prayer group.
The High Court on 20 February 2025 appointed provisional liquidators to New Look Retailers (Ireland) Limited, the Irish arm of the clothing retailer New Look, after the company was found to be heavily insolvent with debts of €17.7 million. The court heard that the Irish branch, which opened in 2003, employs 347 people across 26 stores, 32 of whom are full‑time, and that it had been losing money for the last four years. Mr Justice Brian Cregan was told that the UK parent company had withdrawn financial support and that the Irish branch had a liability of €15.6 million to New Look (UK) Ltd. Barrister John Lavelle explained that the company had sought an examiner in 2020, faced resistance from landlords, and eventually agreed to rent reductions for most stores. The court approved the appointment of Shane McCarthy and Cormac O'Connor of KPMG Ireland as provisional liquidators and adjourned the matter to the next month.
Ian Church, an electrician at HPL Engineering Services, claimed constructive dismissal after his hourly rate of €33.03 was cut by €7 to €25.72. He said he had repeatedly asked for the pay issue to be resolved and that a supervisor had told him he could be replaced by an apprentice. Church walked off the National Children's Hospital site on 31 March 2023, stating he would not work for the reduced rate. He had not formally resigned but had communicated his intent to leave. The Workplace Relations Commission found that Church had made numerous enquiries about the pay issue and that HPL had taken weeks to address it. The tribunal awarded him €5,750 under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and dismissed further wage claims. The case remains at the constructive dismissal stage.
In a High Court hearing on 19 February 2025, Judge Alexander Owens confronted Celtic Tiger restaurateur Marcus Sweeney, 47, over his attempts to re‑enter a settled Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) case concerning EWM Property Holdings Ltd's acquisition of Co Meath land. Owens described Sweeney as "up to his oxters" for associating with organised crime figures and reiterated that the CAB had already settled the case. Sweeney insisted it was not settled, but the judge dismissed his submissions, stating he had no "hint nor hair" of what Sweeney sought. Owens warned that a duty guard would remove Sweeney for being a nuisance and that any new application would require proper affidavits and a notice of motion. Sweeney left the courtroom after the judge's refusal to entertain his claims. The judge had previously issued interlocutory orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 regarding the property.