Thurles Information

Two sisters, named as Kelly Hannon and Sarah Hannon have lost their claims for compensation, over what was alleged trip-and-fall accidents in Greenane Drive, Tipperary town, where they resided.

Judge Michael Twomey noted in the High Court that four other members of the same family had made similar claims, which defendant Tipperary County Council calculated had a one-in-26 million chance of having actually ever happened.

Judge Twomey praised the council for fighting the cases, even though the taxpayer, will be left to foot the council’s legal bill, since the plaintiffs have insufficient funding money to pay the court costs.

Judge Twomey, noting that four other members of the same family had made similar claims said that the Councils actions might discourage further similar claims, thus easing the backlog in the courts, if plaintiffs ‘find it more difficult to persuade lawyers to spend their valuable time on “nuisance claims” with the knowledge that outcomes will have little chance of success.

Judge Twomey said Kelly Hannon had claimed that on August 17, 2015, she suffered soft-tissue injuries when she got her right foot caught in an uncovered drain, which was 25cm square in the council estate in which she has lived for her entire life, namely Greenane Drive, Tipperary town. Her claim was heard at the same time as an almost identical claim by her sister, Sarah Hannon, who lives in the same estate, and claimed she suffered soft-tissue injuries when she caught her right foot on an uncovered drain at the side of a pavement on June 7, 2016, about 30 metres from the drain in which her sister tripped.

The Circuit Court heard that the sisters were part of a family that had made a total of six claims against Tipperary County Council relating to trip-and-fall accidents in Tipperary town, most of which were around the Greenane estate.

Past claims by Hannon family members included:-
Sarah Hannon’s half-brother John Price, who alleged he suffered a ‘trip and fall’ in Tipperary town on February 21st, 2013; her half-brother Billy Price alleged he suffered a ‘trip and fall’ in Tipperary town on October 12th, 2015; her mother Geraldine Hannon alleged she suffered a ‘trip and fall’ on a pothole in the vicinity of the Greenane estate on September 27th, 2015; and her sister Keisha Hannon, who alleged she suffered a ‘trip and fall’ in a pothole in the vicinity of the same Greenane estate, on April 13th, 2016.

Judge Twomey dismissed the appeals of both Sarah and Kelly Hannon against the previous loss of their cases in the Circuit Court.

Consultant engineer Mr Michael Reilly (aged 62 years), of Ballycullen, Mullinahone, Thurles, Co Tipperary, has failed in his defamation action against Iconic Newspapers, latter publishers of the ‘Kilkenny People’ newspaper.

Mr Reilly now faces what is believed to be a six-figure legal bill, following the High Court order that he pay the full costs of his five day jury action.

In her decision, Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds, decided that there was no case for the sitting jury to decide, since the article published enjoyed absolute legal privilege as a fair and accurate report of the court proceedings. She therefore withdrew the case from the jury.

The action had been taken following the Kilkenny People newspaper’s report in its February 19th, 2016, edition, which referring to a man of the same name and same address, latter who was convicted of driving with no insurance. The judge remarked in her decision following the withdrawing of the case from the jury, that it was unfortunate Mr Reilly did not avail of a published clarification offered by the newspaper to have the matter resolved at the earliest opportunity.

Mr Reilly, the court heard, was himself experienced in litigation, as indeed was his partner Ms Monica Leech. Ms Leech, herself a former PR consultant, had been awarded €1.25 million in a defamation action taken in 2009, following a series of Evening Herald newspaper articles, had been holidaying with Mr Reilly in France, when Mr Reilly first became aware of the published newspaper article.