The High Court has decided what was said to Angela Kerins during a 2014 hearing of the Public Accounts Committee IS protected by absolute privilege.
The High Court has decided what was said to Angela Kerins during a 2014 hearing of the Public Accounts Committee IS protected by absolute privilege.
The former CEO of the Rehab Group claimed members abused the Constitutional right by straying into areas outside PAC’s jurisdiction.
In March 2014, one month after she attended a seven-hour PAC hearing on how the Rehab Group spends public funds, Angela Kerins tried to take her own life and she resigned as CEO the following month.
As part of her legal action, she sought damages for personal injury, loss of reputation and loss of career.
But before even considering whether she was entitled to damages, the High Court had to first decide whether it had the jurisdiction to intervene.
In deciding it didn’t, Mr. Justice Peter Kelly said today that the comments and questions made about her salary and bonus payments were no more than utterances and are therefore protected by absolute privilege which is set out in the Constitution and as such has the effect of ousting the court’s jurisdiction.
The court cannot make the relevant members amenable to it, he went on to say.
Ms. Kerins was not in court to hear today’s judgement. The issue of costs will be dealt with next month.
