News & Insights
Public Authorities and Negligence
Powers and Duties In broad terms, public authorities are subject to civil liability for negligence and other civil wrongs, in the same way as private individuals and companies. The State and other public bodies are responsible for the actions and omissions of their employees and agents under principles of vicarious liability. In some circumstances, statute […]
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Duty of Care (Part 2)
Limits to Neighbour Principle The famous neighbour principle re-stated the general basis of liability in negligence. It stated, that “you must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbour”. The test identified a neighbour, as a person who is so closely and directly […]
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Duty of Care (Part 1)
Meaning of Negligence I Negligence is used in a number of senses. In one sense, it refers to a person’s state of mind. An act is negligent, where it is done without giving due weight to the risks involved. A person (and his state of mind) may be negligent, even though the person considers the […]
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A general introduction to dispute resolution in Ireland
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Understanding the Recent Norney v. Dr. Michael Watt Case
On 3 October 2024, the High Court in Belfast delivered a significant judgement in the case of Martine Norney versus Dr Michael Watt and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. Martine Norney was awarded £50,000 in damages after it was determined that her treatment fell short of acceptable medical standards, leading to both physical […]
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‘An ever-increasing cost’ – more pain for motorists as car insurance premiums now 15 times rate of inflation
Motor insurance premiums are escalating at a rapid rate despite government reforms. Figures reveal a 10.4% increase in the past year, 15 times higher than general inflation.
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Ryanair facing DPC probe over facial recognition
Ryanair is facing a Data Protection Commission (DPC) inquiry into its customer verification process, which includes the use of facial recognition technology. The DPC has received a number of complaints regarding the budget airline’s practice of requesting additional ID verification from customers who book travel tickets via third-party websites or online travel agents. The verification […]
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High Court: Landlord’s statutory duty to repair may extend to structures outside its ownership
The High Court has remitted a landlord and tenant dispute back to the Tenancy Tribunal for re-hearing, finding that the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 did not qualify the statutory duties of landlords to effect repairs by reference to any limitation on a landlord’s ability to do so arising from its lack of ownership or control of adjoining […]
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Call for lower insurance premiums after dramatic drop in High Court claims
Insurers have been called on to slash their premiums after official figures showed a dramatic fall in the number of injuries cases being heard by the High Court. The annual report of the Courts Service shows there was a 29pc reduction in the number of personal injury cases being heard by the High Court last […]
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Aldi worker awarded compensation for dismissal following criminal conviction for sexual assault
The Workplace Relations Commission ordered Aldi to pay €5,000 as compensation to a former employee dismissed for a criminal conviction. Get details here.
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Nepalese worker awarded over €23k after employment law breaches
A former restaurant worker in Co Kerry has been awarded over €23,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for breaches of minimum wage and working time laws. Suman Bhurtel, who is originally from Nepal and was working with an employment permit, was represented at the WRC by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI). The former […]
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Court of Appeal: Ulster Bank wins appeal against FSPO concerning borrowers’ entitlement to revert to tracker interest rate
The Court of Appeal has set aside two decisions of the Financial Services and Pension Ombudsman (FSPO) which found that borrowers were entitled to revert to their tracker interest rates having moved to fixed interest rates. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Charles Meenan recognised the incentive for mortgagors to move to […]
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