A chartered accountant and son of the former Supreme Court judge Hugh O'Flaherty has claimed in the High Court that he was libelled in a newspaper article about the appointment of a receiver to an entertainment technology company for which he had previously worked.
Hugh O'Flaherty (39), Park Close, Gilford Road, Sandymount, is seeking damages, including aggravated damages, arising from the publication of the Sunday Tribune article of November 12th, 2002.
He claims the article, published under the headline "Desmond calls time on former O'Flaherty firm", meant that he, Mr O'Flaherty, had run First Universal Technology Ltd (FUT) in an irresponsible manner and he was the one relevant to its financial collapse.
This was wholly untrue, as he had never run the company and was never involved in its management or taken financial decisions, the court was told.
The court heard the company was set up in 2000 and was involved in supplying high-tech listening and viewing posts to music shops.
A receiver was appointed to it in November 2002 after a charge was registered over the company's assets by IIU Nominees, an investment vehicle company of financier Dermot Desmond, which was owed some €100,000.
Mr O'Flaherty said he was an employee of the company as its "general manager".
The action continues today.
