An interpreter who survived the car crash in which former Fianna Fail TD Liam Lawlor died has settled High Court libel actions against five newspapers for undisclosed sums. It is believed the settlements secured by Ms Julia Kushnir may amount to €500,000.
Ms Kushnir (31), a native of Ukraine who works in Prague as an interpreter, has received "substantial damages" from the Sunday World, the Sunday Tribuneand the Sunday Independent, the High Court heard yesterday. Ms Kushnir had sued over articles which wrongly claimed she was a prostitute travelling in the car with the former TD.
Separate actions against the Irish Independent and the Sunday Mirror, which had been due to open tomorrow and on Friday have also been settled, Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne was told.
The case against the Sunday Worldwas due to begin today. However, after a jury of seven men and five women was empanelled, Mr Paul O'Higgins SC, for Ms Kushnir, asked for an adjournment to allow discussions take place between the parties.
When the court resumed, lawyers for the Sunday Worldand the Sunday Independentread out apologies.
The apologies stated the newspapers were happy to assert that Ms Kushnir is a respectable family woman who has no involvement in prostitution. The allegations made in the articles against Ms Kushnir were "totally false" and wholly unjust and unfair to her and her family, it was also stated. Both papers had given "substantial damages" as a result of these unfair and untrue articles.
Eoin McCullough SC, for Independent Newspapers, said a similar apology had been issued in relation to the Sunday Tribune, proceedings against which were due to be heard on Thursday.
Ms Justice Dunne struck out the actions with an order for costs in favour of Ms Kushnir.
Ms Kushnir, who travelled to Dublin for the cases, declined to comment. Her solicitor, Ian Simon, said she was very happy but, he added, the case was never about money or libel as two people had died in the crash.
Ms Kushnir had settled a libel action against the Observernewspaper earlier this year for €100,000.
All the actions related to the newspapers' reporting of the crash in Moscow on October 22nd, 2005 when Mr Lawlor was travelling from the airport to the city centre. He and his driver, Ruslan Suliamanov, died when their car hit a lamp post.
Earlier this year, the Sunday Worldlost a High Court application to compel Ms Kushnir to lodge €30,000 in court as security towards legal costs if her case fails.
Lawyers for the Sunday Worldand Independent Newspapers, which owns the Sunday Independentand the Irish Independent, also tried unsuccessfully to have the cases heard together.