FORMER JOURNALIST Gayle Killilea, who is married to developer Seán Dunne, has settled her High Court libel proceedings against the Mailnewspaper group over false claims that gardaí were investigating allegations of improper accessing of mobile phone messages.
Ms Killilea had sued Associated Newspapers Ltd over an article published on July 30th, 2006, in Ireland on Sunday, now the Irish Mail on Sunday.
The proceedings were listed for hearing yesterday but Mr Justice Éamon de Valera was told the action was settled.
The terms of settlement included an apology read out in court yesterday by Eoin McCullough SC, for the defendant.
In that apology, the Mail said it was wrongly stated in the article that a Garda investigation into the improper accessing of phone messages had involved allegations made by five identified people against Ms Killilea.
The newspaper group said it now accepted this was incorrect.
“We also accept Ms Killilea was never contacted by the Garda in relation to any such alleged complaints,” the statement said. Associated Newspapers wished to apologise to Ms Killilea for any suggestion to the contrary, it added.
Mel Christle SC, for Ms Killilea, asked the court that Supt Brian Sutton, who has been subpoenaed to give evidence, be allowed to stand down and the judge agreed.
In a press statement issued afterwards by solicitors for Ms Killilea, it was stated the sides were “happy to say that they have resolved their differences and have reached an amicable settlement”.
As part of the settlement, the newspaper group has also agreed to pay Ms Killilea a sum in damages and costs along with the apology which was read out yesterday and will also appear in next Sunday's Irish Mail on Sunday.
Both parties have signed a confidentiality clause on the terms of the settlement.