A legal executive who claimed she was defamed by her former solicitor employer yesterday settled her High Court action for damages against him.
Ms Fiona Hennessy (41), Walterstown, Cobh, Co Cork had claimed Mr Donal B. O'Connell, South Mall, Cork had made untrue and scandalous claims about her and had spoken words to several people to the effect she was incompetent and mishandled money. The defence had denied the claims.
On the second day of the hearing before Mr Justice Quirke and a jury yesterday, Mr Kevin Cross SC, for Mr O'Connell, read out an apology in court stating that Ms Hennessy had worked for the firm of Joseph Morrissey and Company for many years. During the course of her employment, she always acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, the statement added, and any suggestion to the contrary was unfounded and was unreservedly withdrawn.
Mr Cross added that Mr O'Connell apologised to Ms Hennessy and to her family for the distress that has been caused to them.
In her action, Ms Hennessy claimed that on a number of occasions during the summer of 1996, Mr O'Connell spoke words to clients of his claiming that Ms Hennessy was to blame for the mess his office was in, including a lot of money that was missing. Ms Hennessy claimed Mr O'Connell told one of these clients to go to her and ask her why a cheque for €9,500 was lodged through a London bank.
She claimed the innuendo was that she had improperly given money belonging to Joseph Morrissey and Co., to Mr Jeremiah Cahill and his wife Ms Eileen Cahill and had stolen money from the company. She further claimed the innuendo was that she had acted innefficiently and incompetently.