LIBEL ACTION:DANA ROSEMARY Scallon has refused to retract statements she made about members of her family, despite their threat of legal action.
It emerged yesterday that Ms Scallon’s niece Susan Gorrell and her sister Susan Stein have told the candidate and TV3 of their intention to issue libel proceedings against them unless she withdraws allegations made last week.
The legal firm representing Ms Gorrell and Ms Stein issued a statement saying libel proceedings would be issued unless “totally unfounded and highly defamatory allegations made during the course of a broadcast on October 14th are retracted immediately”.
The statement by Paul Tweed, senior partner with the solicitors’ firm Johnsons, added: “My clients are completely bemused as to why this extremely distressing issue has been raised at this time and in such a manner.”
On the campaign trail in Wexford yesterday, Ms Scallon said she would be not be retracting her comments on TV3.
Separately, Ms Scallon has made a formal statement to the Garda regarding her suspicions that her car tyre was tampered with prior to an incident in which it blew out as she was being driven to Dublin on Tuesday night.
Garda sources have told The Irish Timesthere is no evidence at present to suggest the tyre was tampered with.