Lawyers for a 60 year old American woman – who claims her younger Irish fiancée defrauded her out of millions – say his defence that he was authorised to take the money is a ‘ruse’.
Thomas J Queally who lives in New York but is originally from Lahaknock, Kilmaley, Co Clare denies he was ever engaged to Elisa Rodino or that he was unauthorised to take the money.
New Yorker Elisa Rodino claims her former partner Thomas J Queally, swindled her out of 4 million dollars – a large portion of which he lodged into a bank in Ennis, Co Clare.
The 60 year old also claims that Mr Queally was leading a double life and had another fiancée while engaged to her.
Last month Ms Rodino’s lawyers secured temporary freezing orders stopping him from reducing, the €1.6m held in the Permanent TSB account in Ennis.
Today her senior counsel John O’Donnell told the court that Mr Queally maintains he had blanket authorisation to access her accounts but that this was a ruse to to allow him help himself to monies when their backs were turned.
Mr O’Donnell informed Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy that the case may require a full hearing – a trial date may be fixed when the matter comes back to court on Tuesday.
