Denis O’Brien defamed two lawyers in a 2016 press release that implied they acted for the IRA, a High Court jury has found. Mr O’Brien and his spokesman James Morrissey must pay solicitors Darragh Mackin and Gavin Booth €411,750 each to compensate the damage done to their reputations arising from the defamation. At the time of the report, Mr O’Brien owned substantial stakes in Irish media companies. [ Denis O’Brien a dominant player in Irish media world when defamatory statement releasedOpens in new window ]Mr O’Brien and Mr Morrissey had denied the material defamed the solicitors or meant what the solicitors alleged. Mr Justice Tony O’Connor made an order against O’Brien and Morrissey for the solicitors’ legal costs.
