Fine Gael cllrs settle defamation case

BY PAUL MURPHY

A legal action for alleged defamation taken by a Meath Fine Gael councillor against a party colleague has been settled out of court..

The case arose out of a vote by Meath county councillors in 2021 to ban car parking on Bettystown beach. In the lead-up to that vote Cllr Sharon Tolan published a tweet alleging that Cllr Paddy Meade, who represents the same Laytown-Bettystown Municipal District, had parked in a space reserved for disabled persons at Bettystown. Cllr Meade denied the allegation.

The defamation case was set down for hearing at Trim Circuit Court today (Wed). However, there was no appearance for either of the parties and on an application made on behalf of solicitor Robert Dore for Mr Meade, Judge Mary O'Malley Costello struck out the case.

Ms Tolan published a statement online saying that she mistakenly suggested that Cllr Meade had illegally parked in a disabled parking space. "I acknowledge Cllr Meade's commitment to the rights of the disabled and I regret any upset caused," she said.

In a statement, Cllr Meade said that he very much welcomed Cllr Tolan's statement on Twitter. He was also pleased to report that the litigation he had instituted had been resolved to the satisfaction of both. He said he now looked forward to putting this unpleasant period of his service as a county councillor behind him.