A company which owns an 18-hole championship golf course and luxury holiday complex in Blarney, Co Cork, has been ordered by the High Court to pay more than half a million euro to a golf design company.
Mr Justice Peter Kelly yesterday granted an order enforcing an arbitrator's award of €554,360, exclusive of VAT and plus interest, made in May last to MF Irish Golf Design Limited against Kelcar Developments Ltd for work done by MF on the golf course at Muskerry East, Blarney.
The judge refused to put a stay on his order, saying the justice of the case would not justify it.
He said arbitration was an agreed method by which business people resolve their disputes and the courts were loathe to interfere in awards save where necessary.
Earlier, in opposing Kelcar's application for a stay, Brendan Kilty SC, for MF, said this was a multi-million development but his client had not been paid any money for two years and three months, with Kelcar fighting every item. Mr Justice Kelly made rulings yesterday in proceedings arising from a contract of December 21st, 2004, relating to designing the golf course.
The judge stressed that there should be finality in arbitration. He believed Kelcar would face "an uphill struggle" to satisfy the court that it had a substantial case to merit setting aside the arbitrator's award.