Commercial Property

High Court dispute settled over Dublin city centre hotel

Lynam’s Hotel on O’Connell Street sold for €6 million last year

Hotel operatorTheresa Andreucetti had denied rent arrears were owed. Photograph: iStock

Aodhan O'Faolain
Tue May 2 2017 - 17:15

A High Court dispute between the operator of Lynam's Hotel in Dublin city and a Nama-appointed receiver has been resolved.

The hotel on Upper O’Connell Street was sold last year to a private investor for a sum believed to be close to €6 million.

It had been subject of a dispute between Theresa Andreucetti, who ran it from 2008 under a lease with the hotel's landlords, and Aiden Murphy, as receiver appointed in September 2015 by Nama over assets of the landlords.

Ms Andreucetti, Castleknock Road, Dublin 15, had in April 2016 secured a temporary High Court injunction allowing her to retain possession of the premises.

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She went to court after agents for the receiver told hotel staff he was taking possession because Ms Andreucetti had failed to pay some €528,000 in arrears of rent.

Arrears

The hotelier denied rent arrears were owed and contended the receiver was not entitled to possession. She counterclaimed for hundreds of thousands of euro allegedly due to her from having to carry out repairs to the building’s roof.

The receiver denied her claims.

The injunction was later vacated on terms including Ms Andreucetti vacating the hotel by August 2016.

The matter came before the court again last month when Mr Justice Paul Gilligan vacated a legal notice registered by Ms Andreucetti which indicated a legal action over the hotel was pending.

The receiver claimed that notice was holding up the closing of the sale of the hotel while Ms Andreucetti’s lawyers argued the notice should not be disturbed until the full dispute was decided by the court.

The judge, after vacating the notice, directed the parties to take steps with a view to an early hearing of the full dispute.

The matter was briefly mentioned before Mr Justice Gilligan on Tuesday when Eamon Marray BL, for the receiver, said the proceedings had been resolved and the matter could be struck out. No details of the agreement were given.

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