Negligent Publication (update)

Readers may remember the case of O'Connell v. The Irish Times, reported by me earlier this year.In brief, the newspaper was ordered to pay damages because of negligently reporting, allegedly, that a dead man had been a drug-dealer, thus causing his mother psychological injury.

As I anticipated, the decision was appealed to the High Court, and the appeal was listed for hearing this week as you will, of course already have read about here but has been adjourned to the next Appeal sessions in March 2008.

Interestingly perhaps, the delay is due (so the court was told this morning in my own presence)to difficulties in deciphering transcripts of the original criminal trial, the report of which was allegedly negligent.