THE Tidy Towns Committee of Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, alleged in the High Court yesterday that it was meant to have benefited from the distribution of a £2.8 million estate left by a woman who died five years ago.
The proceedings concerned the estate of the late Madame Hume Weygand, of Humewood, Kiltegan, and were brought against Mr William A. Osborne and Mr Niall O'Neill, of Brown and McCann, solicitors, Naas, Co Kildare.The named plaintiffs, all from Kiltegan, are Ms Evelyn Pollard, the Rev Stephen Crowther, Father Dermott McDermott, Mr Danny Byrne and Mr Michael Coleman, represented by Ms Elizabeth Bruton.
The committee issued a summons last year requiring Mr Osborne and Mr O'Neill as trustees of the estate to furnish certain accounts.
Mr Osborne and Mr O'Neill claimed considerable work had been carried out in administering the estate, and there were good reasons for the delay.
The administration was complicated by the fact that the dead woman also had assets in France and there was uncertainty as to whether her Irish will was intended to relate to her Irish estate.
Yesterday Mr Dan Herbert SC, for Mr Osborne and Mr O'Neill, handed into court an affidavit by Ms Bruton. Mr Herbert said he received the affidavit last Friday, and it was a matter of the utmost gravity to his clients.
Mr Herbert asked Mr Justice Smyth for permission to file an affidavit in reply to Ms Bruton's to vindicate his clients' good name.
Ms Bruton told Mr Justice Smyth she had attended at the offices of Mr Osborne and Mr O'Neill to inspect documents relating to the estate. A set of papers had been prepared which purported to show the administration of the estate. She was not allowed take copies to back up what she had stated on affidavit.
Mr Justice Smyth said it was clear there were a number of issues to be decided. He adjourned the matter for four weeks to enable Mr Herbert's clients to reply to Ms Bruton's affidavit.