A childminder employed for a short period in 1999 by Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan-Burton and her husband Don Burton is facing a legal bill of up to €150,000 following a High Court ruling yesterday on the costs of her unsuccessful action against the couple.
The original estimate that the bill facing Ms Joy Fahy could reach €300,000 has been halved following Ms Fahy's disclosure that her own lawyers had conducted the case for free.
Mr Justice Quirke yesterday remarked that it was regrettable that the case had ever gone to court.
He gave judgment in the action on Wednesday rejecting all the substantial claims made by Ms Fahy against the Burtons. He sat yesterday to hear submissions from lawyers for the sides in relation to costs.
In his judgment on Wednesday, he had rejected all but one of Ms Fahy's claims and allowed her an award of just €1,500 regarding some of her personal belongings, including items of clothing, which she had alleged were damaged or mislaid.
Following lengthy arguments by lawyers yesterday, the judge decided that the Burtons were entitled to costs of the action on the High Court scale, less the costs, on the much lower District Court scale, of the claim made regarding Ms Fahy's personal belongings.
The judge allowed a stay on his order in the event of an appeal by either side to the Supreme Court. Later, Ms Fahy indicated she would be appealing.
Ms Fahy (34), of Moyleggan, Batterstown, Co Meath, was in court for the submissions on costs but the Burtons, of Riversfield Stud, Kilmallock, Co Limerick, were not present.
Ms Fahy was employed as a childminder by the Burtons for a time in 1999 but soon after going with them to Canada that summer, the arrangement ended and she returned to Ireland. Ms Fahy claimed she was fired and the Burtons claimed she had left.
Mr Justice Quirke rejected Ms Fahy's claim for alleged breach of contract and also turned down other claims brought by her, including one for alleged false imprisonment against Mr Burton.