THE SUN newspaper has been refused a High Court stay allowing it to challenge a High Court judgment granting Louis Walsh discovery of documents in his defamation claim against the newspaper.
Mr Walsh was told on Friday last that he was entitled to documents relating to the newspaper’s investigation into a Garda inquiry into an alleged sex attack by him on a man in a nightclub toilet. Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill said yesterday he was not going to allow Newsgroup Newspapers Ltd a stay because the matter had dragged on too long.
Declan Doyle, SC, counsel for Walsh, told the court that Newsgroup Newspapers had obstructed Mr Walsh every step of the way since the article was published in the Sun in June last year.
The application for a stay had been made by James McGowan, counsel for the defendants. He said the defendants would like to have further consultation with their senior counsel, who was currently on holiday. He asked that the matter be put back until September.
Mr Doyle said Mr Walsh was most anxious for the matter to be resolved and the defendants had been dragging their feet and had to be dragged through the court on five occasions. Mr Walsh wanted the case expedited.
Mr Justice O’Neill said he was not going to grant the defendants a stay.