A High Court action by a long-serving manager with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's Irish operation, who claimed he was singled out for dismissal after he told Pfizer of serious matters concerning more than €2 million being allegedly diverted from it by others, has been settled.
No details of the settlement were given yesterday when the case was briefly mentioned to Mr Justice Frank Clarke.
The judge, on consent of both sides, struck out the action which was brought by Kevin O'Doherty against Pfizer Manufacturing, Pfizer Production and Pfizer Overseas Pharmaceuticals, all trading as Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals.
Mr O'Doherty is a purchasing manager with Pfizer Ireland. When the case was last before the court on December 5th, Roddy Horan, for Mr O'Doherty, said the case could be adjourned on consent to yesterday with the interim order restraining his client's dismissal continuing to then.
On that same occasion, Tom Mallon, for the Pfizer defendants, said that his side wanted time to respond to the case made by Mr O'Doherty and was consenting to the injunction continuing.
Mr O'Doherty (54), with an address at Rochestown Road, Cork, had secured the interim injunction restraining his dismissal in early December. He claimed Pfizer singled him out for dismissal on grounds of abuse of corporate entertainment after he informed the company of serious matters concerning monies allegedly being diverted from it.
Mr O'Doherty was given notification of dismissal on November 27th last but has not to date been dismissed.
In an affidavit, Mr O'Doherty said the background to the proposed dismissal arose from a Pfizer investigation, spearheaded from the company's US operation, into some €2 million being not accounted for arising from construction of a €95 million building for Pfizer at Ringaskiddy.
He said he had informed senior personnel within Pfizer of rumours that Pfizer, in the course of construction of the Ringaskiddy Spray Dryer Dispersion building, may have been charged for the costs of building a particular house in east Cork.
Mr O'Doherty said he was later asked about the matters he had raised by an investigation team from Pfizer's US operation and was also asked by that team if he had availed of corporate hospitality.
Pfizer subsequently requested him to make arrangements for the company to download everything from his computer's hard disk and this was done. He said he was later notified he was being dismissed.
