Full coverage: litigation

Paul Coyle and his wife have now lost at least 24 times in the courts in an “incessant war” after they lost control of their cake decoration firm. Their behaviour has been previously described in the High Court as “indefensible and scandalous”.

A summons was invalidly served on a British financial advisor alleged to have acted as a broker for Flatley in a 2018 insurance settlement, the High Court has ruled. The accountant claims Flatley told him he would drop the case against him.

Yuzhu Kang claimed business associates duped him out of his shareholding in Fota. Now he is back at the helm of the five-star resort after a court-approved settlement declares him to be the sole owner of the Cork hotel.

Mick Kiely raised millions of dollars to build a music startup called Xhail. At one stage he hoped it would be worth $250 million.

Property developer Greg Kavanagh has filed a new legal action in relation to a long-running dispute in relation to Wynnstay House which was built in 1896.

The former Riverdance star is suing his building contractor and insurers for €25m over toxic residue allegedly found in his Castlehyde mansion last October. The dancer and his family say they have experienced health problems and had to move out.

On paper, 2022 was a bear year for litigation. But behind the figures were blockbuster lawsuits, private negotiations, and meaty investigative work. In the first of a two-part survey, The Currency meets the country's top law firms to discuss what has been happening in and out of court.

The data shows 2021 was the slowest year for new High Court actions this century. Is the litigation market depressed? The Currency takes a look behind the figures.

Covid-19 had a chilling effect on the High Court caseload last year although areas like planning and asylum law remained busy. The Currency has been number-crunching the data for some clues on what the crisis meant for the business of litigation.

Figures show the volume of High Court litigation is shrinking among Ireland’s top-flight law firms like Arthur Cox and McCann Fitzgerald. Should they be concerned?