The Irish Independent's racing tipster and correspondent Capt Keen was yesterday granted a temporary injunction in the High Court restraining the Independent newspaper group from dismissing him.
Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd was also restrained from altering the status of "suspended on full pay" of John Martin, of Glenville Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin.
Mr Martin (55) told the court he had suffered a campaign conducted against him for a number of years since 2000 by Patrick Courtney, Independent group sports editor, and Declan Carlyle, human resources director of Independent Newspapers.
He said he began to experience difficulties in late 1999 when Mr Courtney had sought to remove him from the position of Capt Keen/English Racing Correspondent to which he had been appointed in July 1995.
He had been willing to consider some alternative arrangements, but what had been proposed had been in fact a de facto demotion for him and would have been extremely embarrassing.
There were talks between the company and the National Union of Journalists, culminating in an agreement whereby he had been effectively compelled to undertake a trial period as racing correspondent for the Evening Herald, an "inferior" position.
He had been unhappy with the new job, and had sought a return to the previous position. He had been suffering considerable work-related stress, and in July 2000 he was hospitalised and diagnosed as suffering from a stroke.
Mr Martin said he had made complaints to Mr Carlyle from the end of 1999, but nothing had been done. Following an internal inquiry it was recommended that he be dismissed on the grounds of alleged gross misconduct.
Mr Justice Peart said the interim restraints would stand until an adjourned hearing of the matter on Tuesday.