A woman who claimed Fine Gael reneged on a promise to give her a job as former TD George Lee’s parliamentary assistant has settled her case.
Bernie Connolly, of The Waterfront, Hanover Quay, Dublin, alleged in a Circuit Civil Court action that Mr Lee and the Fine Gael executive, including party leader Enda Kenny, had failed to give her the job after the former RTE journalist won the Dublin South byelection in June last year.
Ms Connolly claimed the promises had been forgotten despite having joined Mr Lee and Fine Gael leaders at a celebration dinner on the night of the election count and a lunch in Leinster House on his introduction to Dail Eireann.
Ms Connolly took the case against Mr Lee; Mr Kenny; Fine Gael general secretary Tom Curran and party trustees Enda Marren; Frank Flannery; Sean Barrett TD; Jerry Carey; Deirdre Clune TD, and Mary Hayes and Patrick Durcan.
Her allegations were denied in defences entered in the case on behalf of all defendants.
The court heard today Conor Bowman, counsel for Ms Connolly, and Michael Binchy, counsel for the defendants, had agreed a confidential settlement deal.
Mr Binchy told Circuit Court President, Mr Justice Matthew Deery, the action had been settled and could be struck out with an order for taxation of Ms Connolly’s legal costs. Mr Bowman said the parties had agreed the settlement would remain confidential.
Mr Connolly had alleged that on May 1st last year, Mr Curran, claiming to have the authority of his co-defendants, had invited her to be interviewed for the position of parliamentary assistant to Fine Gael’s byelection candidate, who at that stage had not been identified to her.
She said she had been told she would be required from May 6th to join the campaign staff for the election and had taken leave of absence from her existing job with the Progressive Democrats. She had been told she would become the candidate’s parliamentary assistant on election.
She claimed she had been introduced to Mr Lee on May 6th and the following day had started work in the campaign office in Dundrum, working there until the election.
She had worked all day on June 6th at the count in the RDS and had attended the Fine Gael post-election dinner party, where she had met Mr Lee and Enda Kenny.
Ms Connolly claimed she had afterwards been told by Mr Curran to go to the Fine Gael office in Leinster House. She had done so and had received instructions to get a letter from Mr Lee stating he was employing her.
She said she had waited for Mr Curran to make further contact with her and, when there had been none, she had phoned him. He had told her to contact Mr Lee directly. When she died so, she said Mr Lee told her he knew nothing of the agreement relating to the job offer.
She claimed Mr Lee, despite having told her he would look at her CV and come back to her, had not contacted her since.
Ms Connolly stated in her action that Mr Curran had assured her there was a clear understanding between himself and Lee that she was to get the position after the election.
On July 8th , 2009, she had discovered that a colleague in her office had been asked to attend for interview with Mr Lee for the position of constituency secretary. She had emailed Mr Curran who had told her to contact Mr Lee directly. She had not contacted any of them since.
Ms Connolly said she had left her position in the PDs for a month and claimed she had suffered loss, damage and inconvenience as a result of breach of contract.