Broadcaster Hook granted judgment against Tribune Newspapers
Broadcaster George Hook has been granted judgment against Tribune Newspapers in his €38,000 damages claim for defamation of character in a Sunday Tribune article published in October last year.
Barrister Conor Feeney, counsel for Hook, the 69-year-old presenter of Newstalk’s ‘The Right Hook’, told the County Registrar’s Court today that judgment was sought because Tribune Newspapers had failed to enter any defence to his claim.
Mr Feeney told County Registrar Susan Ryan that the Tribune was currently in Receivership but the Receiver had shown little interest in dealing with the claim.
He said the Receiver initially engaged with Mr Hook’s solicitors and had requested particulars of his allegations.
Since then there had been no response to letters to the Receiver’s legal solicitors who had stated today they were not opposing the application for judgment.
Ms Ryan said she would grant judgment in Mr Hook’s favour and adjourn the matter to a future hearing for the purpose of assessing damages by the Circuit Civil Court.
Mr Feeney, earlier this week, told the County Registrar that Hook, of Foxrock Park, Foxrock, Dublin 18, was abandoning an application to join a Sunday Tribune journalist to the proceedings.
Hook had sought to join Eithne Tynan, Kilbaha, Kilrush, Co Clare, to the proceedings on the grounds she was the author of the alleged defamatory article.
Ms Ryan struck out the motion to join Ms Tynan. Earlier this week Hook stated publicly he was dropping his libel action against Ms Tynan, because of what he described as an orchestrated campaign against him by his colleagues in the media.
