A professor at University College, Cork, has begun High Court proceedings to restrain his suspension from his position as professor of economics and/or head of the department of economics.
Prof Connell M. Fanning is also seeking an injunction to restrain UCC from initiating any disciplinary procedures against him arising out of matters referred to in letters from the UCC president on November 6th and 14th last.
After undertakings were given by counsel for both sides yesterday, Mr Justice Quirke adjourned the proceedings to Monday next. Mr Paul Sreenan SC, for Prof Fanning, said his client's suspension was due to take effect from 5 p.m. yesterday.
Mr Ian Finlay SC, for UCC, said that on November 11th, the president of UCC had written to Prof Fanning informing him that, as a result of matters referred to the president and previous correspondence, Prof Fanning was to be suspended with full pay to take effect from 5 p.m. yesterday. Counsel said UCC needed an adjournment to allow it to respond to Prof Fanning's application to restrain that suspension.
The stated reasons for the proposed suspension were for the initiation of a disciplinary process within UCC arising out of three pieces of information the president had received from three identifiable members of the academic staff in relation to alleged intimidation of them by Prof Fanning. The staff in question were Prof Aine Hyland; Prof Sebastian Green, dean of the faculty of commerce; and Mr Noel Woods, a lecturer in the department of economics. His instructions were that the president regarded those matters as potentially very serious, Mr Finlay said.
Mr Sreenan said this case was one of a number. Part of his case was that, since the election of the current president, there had been harassment of Prof Fanning. The court did not have the full history of the situation. Prof Fanning had, and wanted to continue, to carry out his functions to manage the department of economics.
The judge said he would adjourn the proceedings to Monday after being given undertakings that the suspension and institution of the disciplinary process would not take place for a further week; that Prof Fanning would only communicate in writing, through solicitors, with the three academic members of staff; and that the university would request the three members not to communicate with Prof Fanning other than in writing.