The children and other family members of jailed bankrupt businessman Seán Quinn have been given a final week to file their defence to an action alleging they were involved in a conspiracy to strip multimillion assets from the family’s international property group.
Ross Aylward, for the five children and three of their spouses – Karen Woods, Niall McPartland and Stephen Kelly – said yesterday that he and a new firm of solicitors had just come on record and wanted more time to file a defence to the action brought against them and others by Irish Bank Resolution Corporation.
Maddie Grant said she had been representing Seán Quinn snr, who is serving a nine-week term in Mountjoy Prison for contempt of orders restraining asset stripping. Her side had been told earlier this month their services were no longer required and she would be bringing a motion to come off record, counsel said.
Ms Grant added there was an issue as to whether Mr Quinn would seek to be represented in the case by other lawyers.
Paul Gallagher SC, for IBRC – formerly Anglo – said the matter was urgent due to the bank’s concerns to protect the assets and he was prepared to agree only to a very short extension of time to file a defence.
The bank had delivered an amended statement of claim in the case on July 30th last and the Quinn side was supposed to have filed their defence by September 26th but had failed to do so, he said.
‘Unacceptable’
Mr Justice Peter Kelly said the court had made orders requiring the defence to be filed by September 26th and there was no real explanation why that had not happened. It was unacceptable that court orders should not be obeyed, he added.
He would allow the new layers some time but the matter was urgent, he stressed. He directed a defence must be delivered by November 27th. If that was not done, the bank was entitled to apply for judgment against the defendants.
The judge also asked for clarification next week whether the Official Assignee in bankruptcy wished to take any part in these proceedings in relation to Seán Quinn snr.
He would hear Ms Grant’s application to come off record next week, he said.
