Full coverage: defamation

Aer Lingus pilot Padraig Higgins had his €387,000 jury award for defamation against the Irish Aviation Authority slashed on appeal. Now the Supreme Court has agreed to look at jury assessments as a matter of public importance.

After three days in front of a High Court jury, the judge decided that Michael Reilly’s defamation case had come to an end as the article was 100% accurate. The fact that it reached the court says much about the system.

Justice Richard Humphreys is alleged to have made baseless, damaging remarks about a senior counsel and a solicitor. The judge has previously been criticised by the Supreme Court for making humiliating and insulting comments about barristers that appeared before him.

Libel proceedings have been lodged in the High Court in Dublin by the Spanish businessman who has hired reputation specialists Gateley/Tweed to represent him.

The German entrepreneur Christian Angermayer wears many hats. He is an investor, film enthusiast, and psychedelics proselytiser with business links to controversial Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel. So why is he and the tech firm Northern Data suing Twitter?

Conor Brady, former editor of The Irish Times, is developing a new tech solution with his son that aims to save newsrooms millions in defamation cases. Plus, Caliber AI may also be an attractive product for social media giants who find themselves in the courts for statements posted on their respective platforms.

Motivational guru Tony Robbins is the latest celebrity plaintiff to target the Irish headquarters of a global social media company. Belfast defamation lawyer Paul Tweed is fighting the case once again.

Billionaire financier Dermot Desmond claims the publication of the Panama Papers wrongly linked him to rogue transactions and breached his privacy. A looming High Court battle will test Ireland’s embryonic privacy laws, as well as journalistic privilege.

Social media has fueled a rise in defamation claims. But few lawyers are betting it is a growth industry.