Former consultant obsetrician Dr Michael Neary has failed in his High Court attempt to prevent proceedings being taken against him by a woman who claims her ovary was wrongfully removed.
The ruling means up to 70 more cases may be lodged against the disgraced Co Louth doctor.
Ms Rosemary Cunningham, of Corlea, Kingscourt, Co Cavan, has taken proceedings against Dr Neary; representatives of the Medical Missionaries of Mary and a nominee of the North Eastern Health Board arising from her treatment by Dr Neary at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, in 1991.
She claims he wrongfully removed her left ovary during an operation on August 15th, 1991, which followed her admission to the hospital with an ectopic pregnancy.
Dr Neary, who has now been struck off the medical register, and the other defendants claimed the action is statute barred - brought outside the three-year time limit for proceedings - and asked Mr Justice Ó Caoimh to strike out the proceedings.
However, Ms Cunningham told the court earlier this month she didn't take proceedings until March 2002 because it was only after she read a report by a Dr Richard Porter in April 2001 that she believed her ovary was unnecessarily removed.
She said she had trusted Dr Neary and her GP when they told her the removal of the ovary was necessary.
Judge Ó Caoimh accepted Ms Cunningham's version of events, ruling that her "time of knowledge" was within statutory time limits.