A widow claimed in the High Court yesterday she had "felt obliged" to quit her home because of intimidation and harassment by her late husband's family.
Sandra Murphy, of Dr Murphy Park, Portlaoise, was granted interim injunctions restraining her father-in-law Tony Madigan snr and Patrick Madigan from interfering with the assets of her late husband, Tony Madigan jnr.
She told Mr Justice Michael Peart she had met her late husband in October 2000, and they became engaged in June 2001. They had married on May 2nd, 2003.
They lived in Ballyroan House, Main Street, Ballyroan, Portlaoise, which had become their family home, although registered in the sole name of her husband.
The TSB held a mortgage for €135,000 and, while she had tried to make payments, the bank had told her it wished to deal only with the personal representatives and executors of her husband's estate, Tony Madigan snr and Patrick Madigan.
Ms Murphy said her husband had been employed in the family conservatory business, APM Conservatories, Glenbrook, Ballyroan, run by her father-in-law.
Mr Madigan snr became ill and her husband had taken on extra duties. Together with this and extra work refurbishing their home he had become very stressed.
In June 2004 her husband had suffered a nervous breakdown requiring constant care.
She had given up her work to care for him but his family had interfered and her position as spouse had been completely undermined. "With great regret and sadness I felt obliged to leave in January 2005 and moved to my mother's home at Dr Murphy Park," she said.
Ms Murphy said the locks had been changed in her family home and her husband had gone into private care in St Patrick's Hospital, Dublin. He died on May 18th.
The matter was put into the court list for August 24.