Limerick solicitor loses High Court defamation case against adviser

A Limerick solicitor and environmental campaigner has lost her High Court defamation action against communications adviser Emma Gilleece.

Michelle Hayes, a partner at Hayes Solicitors in Limerick, claimed Gilleece posted defamatory comments about her on X (formerly Twitter) between 2020 and 2022. Hayes alleged the tweets accused her of “bullying and threats” and suggested she had unfairly secured a place for Environmental Trust Ireland on the Limerick Public Participation Network.

Gilleece, an architectural historian based at Blackhall Place, Dublin 7, denied the allegations. At trial, Mr Justice Oisín Quinn instructed a jury to decide whether the posts implied Hayes engaged in bullying in her professional affairs and whether she was individually identified.

After two and a half hours of deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of “no” on both questions, rejecting Hayes’s claims. The judge noted the jury also found no basis for Hayes’s allegation that she was accused of wrongful litigation.

Hayes sought damages and costs; applications regarding costs are to be addressed in November.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Following NYC / Pexels.