THE Irish National Stud has paid out more than €700,000 in legal costs and settlements related to internal employment issues with its staff over the last five years.
Bills and settlement costs incurred by the semi-State company in relation to one former employee amounted to over €364,000.
Figures released to The Irish Timesunder the Freedom of Information Act show the stud incurred considerable costs in disputes with its own employees.
Established in 1946, the stud in Tully, Co Kildare, plays a role in the development and promotion of Irish bloodstock and is also a tourist attraction. Company accounts for the year ended December 2008 show a loss of €2.3 million.
Shares in the Irish National Stud Company Ltd are vested in the Minister for Finance and the company operates under the auspicious of the Department of Agriculture.
It employs 40 permanent staff as well as about 30 additional seasonal workers.
High Court cases have been taken by three members of staff, the latest by stallion nominations manager Julie Lynch who made allegations of bullying and sexual harassment against former chief executive John Clarke. A preliminary hearing of the case was held in March and a full hearing is expected in June or July.
Ms Lynch has alleged Mr Clarke bullied and harassed her. The bullying began after they had an affair in 2006, she has said.
Mr Clarke has also instigated legal action against the stud in an attempt to overturn the finding of an internal investigation which stated he had bullied Ms Lynch.
In 2004, Pat Mullarkey, former farm and tourism manager at the stud, also took an action alleging harassment and bullying.
He had been the farm manager at the stud since 1979 and had contacted former taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2000, then TD Charlie McCreevy and other Dáil deputies when he began to experience difficulties at work.
He took sick leave following a particularly stressful incident at the stud and when the company stopped his sick pay after 13 weeks, took out an injunction against them at the High Court.
The total cost to the stud, which included an out-of-court settlement, Mr Mullarkey’s legal expenses and the cost of the injunction, was over €364,000.
Another out-of-court settlement of €120,000 was made in 2008. It related to employee Andrew Lacey, a gardener who allegedly suffered harassment, bullying and intimidation.
His case was initiated in 2006 and settled after two trips to the High Court. The total cost for his case, including the settlement, was almost €220,000.
The action involving a fourth employee cost €7,878.
Miscellaneous legal bills since 2004, listed as “employment issues” cost the stud an additional €58,000.
According to the figures, legal costs incurred from May to December 2009, in relation to the Lynch case, have so far reached almost €40,000.
In a statement to The Irish Times, a spokesman for Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith said the Minister had sought and received a report from the stud "in response to certain allegations made".
The Minister had since been in discussions with the stud about the matter.
“Human resource issues are a matter for the company and its board,” the spokesman added.
