A verdict is expected tomorrow in a High Court action in which former Miss World Rosanna Davison claims she was defamed in a Ryanair press release which, she claims, wrongly meant she was racist, elitist and jealous.
Mr Justice Eamon de Valera sent the jury of eight men and four women home yesterday until tomorrow while he heard legal submissions in their absence.
Evidence in the case ended yesterday. When the jury returned to court this morning, they were sent to their room while lawyers for both sides began submissions to the judge.
As those submissions continued into the afternoon, the judge called the jury in and told them the prudent thing to do would be to excuse them until tomorrow when they will hear closing speeches from each side and the judge’s summing up and charge before being sent out to consider their verdict.
The action arises out of a press release posted on Ryanair's website on November 11th, 2008, in response to remarks made by Miss Davison the previous day, as reported in the Irish Independent.
Ms Davison said she was asked questions by a journalist arising from the launch on November 10th 2008 of a Ryanair charity calendar featuring female members of its international cabin crew, wearing bikinis, and under headings including Miss Cockpit and Miss Fuel Pump.
The questions included what she thought about the absence of any Irish cabin crew from the calendar.
She said she was correctly quoted the next day as saying: “If I was (organising) it, I would have made sure that Irish women were involved because it’s an Irish charity and Irish fundraising. Any person from any part of Europe would say that Irish women are gorgeous”.
The following day, Ryanair’s release stated “comments made by Irish glamour model Rosanna Davison in relation to the absence of Irish cabin crew from Ryanair’s 2009 charity calendar . . . bordered on racism and demonstrated an elitist attitude against Ryanair’s international cabin crew”.
The release stated “there is nothing more unattractive than jealousy”.
It also said: “Ryanair confirmed all cabin crew were invited to apply for the calendar and that while only a small number of Irish staff applied, one Irish girl was invited to participate but was unavailable to do so.”
Ms Davison (27), of Cornelscourt, Co Dublin, alleges the release defamed her in that, she alleges, it meant she was racist, xenophobic, elitist and jealous.
Rynair denies defamation, denies the release bore the alleged meanings and also pleads it was fair comment in response to a matter of public interest.