The fact that the legal costs of deciding a dispute over ownership of €228,000 may exceed €500,000 underlines the “disproportionate” level of legal costs in the High Court and why the recent civil justice review has urged reform of those, a judge has said.
High legal costs have been a serious problem for years and regularly throw up the kind of anomalies that had occurred in this case, Mr Justice Michael Twomey said. This raised serious issues about how access to justice can be denied, including for citizens on average income in the State.
He made the comments when ordering an insolvent company, Tom McEvaddy Properties Ltd, trading as Nexus Homes (in liquidation) – Nexus – to pay €180,000 security of Nama’s legal costs of defending the case, expected to run for four days in the High Court, over the €238,000 sum.
A hair restoration doctor cleared by a court of illegally importing medicines has taken proceedings to stop a Medical Council hearing over the same matter.
In a case which may have ramifications for investigations by a range of professional bodies, Dr Samuel Van Eeden claims the inquiry breaches his constitutional rights as he has already been cleared of criminal charges.
The South African-born surgeon and his wife Zelda were both charged in connection with the alleged unauthorised importation of the medicines from Bangladesh in 2012.
The medicines included an injected antibiotic for hair restoration treatment, sedatives, drugs for indigestion and cholesterol problems, and a local anaesthetic.
Former University of Limerick HR director fails to get injunction halting probe into alleged misuse of funds
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Dr Thomas Foy, who after leaving his role as HR Director remains employed by UL, pictured above );
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THE High Court has dismissed a bid by a former Human Resources Director with the University of Limerick s to halt an investigation into his alleged role in the suspected misuse of funds regarding the college s pension scheme.
The application was made on behalf of Dr Thomas Foy, who claimed that the continuation of the university s investigation would have resulted in him suffering irreparable reputational damage.