A company which maintains mussel beds inside Wexford Harbour yesterday brought a High Court claim for damages against Wexford Corporation.
The company claims the corporation destroyed the beds by negligently depositing stone material on them in 1995. The corporation denies the claim.
Yesterday's hearing of the action by Lett and Co Ltd for damages did not get under way because of the corporation's application to amend its defence.
It claimed the area of the mussel beds was State property and that at the time of the dumping the corporation had the State's permission to deposit the stone material.
The company has challenged this claim. Mr Bill Shipsey SC, for Lett, said that for the first time it was being claimed that the Minister orally agreed with someone in Wexford Corporation that the corporation had permission to enter on the foreshore, and there was no documentary evidence supporting such a supposed legal entitlement.
Mr Justice John Quirke will give his decision today.