A Dublin couple have given undertakings not to interfere with a collection of antiques stored at their home until ownership is decided by the High Court.
Former Irish Times advertising executive Ms Paula Hatton, who had a 13-year relationship with the newspaper's finance editor, Mr Barry O' Keeffe, is also asking the court to determine ownership of the home.
Mr Noel Devitt, counsel for Ms Hatton, told Mr Justice Paul Gilligan that Ms Hatton was seeking an interlocutory restraint relating to the collection, and that the matter could be adjourned on the basis of mutual undertakings not to remove, interfere with or dispose of any of the items.
Ms Hatton, in a sworn affidavit, said she started a relationship with Mr O'Keeffe in 1990 at her exclusively owned home at Ormond Crescent, Swords. In 1999, they decided she would sell her home and they would buy jointly at Boroimhe Poplars.
She claimed she had contributed €107,292 to the purchase and that Mr O'Keeffe contributed about €25,394. At the time, Mr O'Keeffe was a journalist and she was an advertising executive.
Ms Hatton said, over the past 13 years, she had built up a significant collection of about 7,000 prints, paintings, furniture items, ceramics, toys, advertising memorabilia, coins, medals, engravings, lithographs, limited edition books and jewellery, as well as a comprehensive reference library of antique price-guides.
In June 2002, opportunities for redundancy arose in The Irish Times. They agreed she would take the redundancy package and Mr O'Keeffe would support her as homemaker. He had been made editor of the newspaper's business section.
On Christmas Eve last year, differences had arisen. Mr O'Keeffe had indicated he wished to terminate their relationship, put their home up for sale and split the proceeds in equal amounts. She had rejected the proposal.
Ms Hatton claimed that, last month, she had noticed Mr O'Keeffe packing and removing items of the collection. While some items would have been purchased either by or for Mr O'Keeffe, the vast bulk was her property.
She claimed she was anxious that, unless restrained by the court, Mr O'Keeffe would continue to remove items.
Ms Nuala Jackson, counsel for Mr O'Keeffe, said it had also been agreed that, before the next court date, a full inventory of disputed items would be furnished by both parties.