A roundup of today's other courts news in brief
€250,000 for bike death family
A €250,000 settlement has been approved by the High Court for the widow and children of a motorcyclist who died in a road incident.
Catherine Walsh and her daughters, then aged eight and 14, had come on the scene at Fethard Road, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, involving her husband James Walsh (38) shortly after the crash, the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, was told yesterday.
In their action for damages for mental distress and nervous shock, Ms Walsh alleged her husband’s death was as a result of his having to take evasive action to avoid another vehicle which allegedly emerged unsafely from a side road.
Mr Walsh swerved from the vehicle but lost control of his motorcycle.
Ex-sergeant settles trauma action
A former Army sergeant who served six tours of duty in Lebanon has settled his High Court action for damages over alleged post-traumatic stress disorder suffered as a result of an alleged intensive bombardment of a village.
Peter Organ (60), Corbally, Limerick, had taken his case against the Minister for Defence and the State.
Mr Organ was stationed at Sarsfield Barracks, Limerick, but was discharged from the Defence Forces on November 2000 following a medical examination which concluded he was suffering from PTSD, low back pain, neck pain and was chronically ineffective.
He had been attending a psychiatrist since he came home from Lebanon in 1996.
Before the action began yesterday, Pádraig McCartan SC, for Mr Organ, told Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns that the case had been settled. No details were revealed.
Shop owner tried to cash stolen cheques
The owner of an African- Caribbean shop who attempted to cash stolen cheques to the value of €14,200 at three north Dublin post offices has had his sentencing adjourned.
Adewole Adekunle (38), Chipping Terrace, Ongar Village, pleaded guilty to using a false instrument and to possession of a stolen cheque at Castleknock Post Office and Mulhuddart Post Office on March 14th, 2007.
Judge Katherine Delahunt adjourned sentencing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court until December.
Judge withdraws from abortion case
The president of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, will not sit on the European Court of Human Rights when it is hearing the pending case against Ireland's ban on abortion, writes Carol Coulter, Legal Affairs Editor.
His place as an ad hoc judge will be taken by Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan.
Mr Justice Kearns was nominated last year to sit on the Strasbourg court hearing the case, because the Irish judge on the court, Dr Ann Power, withdrew in line with rule 28, requiring judges to withdraw where they had a personal interest or had represented a party in the case. A Courts Service spokesman said Mr Justice Kearns relinquished his duty to focus on his new duties as president of the High Court.