A High Court judge has granted an injunction restraining the Sunday Worldfrom publishing any material relating to a car dealer and deceased model Katy French.
Lee Cullen, a married father of two from Starwood, Coolmine, Saggart, Co Dublin, had sought an injunction restraining the newspaper from publishing any more stories relating to him.
The Sunday Worldhas over recent months run a number of stories containing allegations against Mr Cullen. He said those claims were untrue and an article last Sunday linking him to Ms French was the "final straw".
Mr Justice Peter Charleton refused to grant a blanket injunction stopping the paper from writing about Mr Cullen but granted an order restraining it from publishing "any material" relating to Mr Cullen and Ms French. The judge said there was nothing in an affidavit by Sunday Worldmanaging editor Neil Leslie which justified certain claims made by the paper last Sunday.
The judge said he was "shocked" by the "complete absence of any justification" in the affidavit to this issue.
If it was even said the material already published was on the basis of confidential information given to a journalist, he would be reluctant to grant the injunction, but that was not the case, the judge said. The court was being asked to decide whether there was an arguable defence.
It may be that Mr Cullen would succeed in a libel action for the various other allegations made against him by the newspaper, the judge said.
He did not accept Mr Cullen's contention that his life was at risk as a result of the newspaper articles. While there was nothing the court could do to stop the paper from publishing material in relation to other matters, the judge said it would be wrong to allow further articles suggesting Mr Cullen was associated with the death of Ms French. He therefore granted the injunction only in relation to articles connecting him with her death.
In an affidavit, Mr Leslie rejected Mr Cullen's contention that the articles were defamatory. He said the newspaper pleaded justification for the articles based on what the newspaper contended are facts about Mr Cullen's settlement with Cab and other matters.
In a replying affidavit, Mr Cullen said he had been put out of business by the articles and financial institutions no longer wanted to deal with him.