Lawyers representing parties including senior members of the Qatari royal family and the owner of several luxury hotels have claimed that defamation proceedings against them by an Irish businessman cannot be heard before the Irish courts.
Ronnie Delany claims he was defamed and his reputation damaged in letters he alleges were published to people in Ireland as part of an alleged conspiracy against him.
The businessman has brought proceedings before the High Court seeking damages against parties including the former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, businessman and Qatari politician Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabber Al Thani, Maybourne Hotels Ltd and the hotel group's chief executive Marc Socker.
Mr Delany claims that Maybourne owns and operates The Berkeley, Claridge's and The Connaught hotels in London, and that the two Qatar-based defendants jointly own the economic interest in the group.
In a second set of related proceedings Mr Delany has sued another company in the hotel group, French-based Sas Societe Dexploitation Et De Dentention Hoteliere Vista, which owns and operates a hotel on the French Riviera, and its legal representative, Gilles De Boissieu, who it is also alleged distributed a letter that damaged the Irish businessman's reputation.
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani is also a defendant in the action against the French-based defendants.
Court's jurisdiction
The claims are denied, and the defendants represented by Marcus Dowling SC have brought pretrial motions seeking to have the actions struck out on the basis that the Irish courts lack the jurisdiction to hear the claims.
The defendants argue that the claims cannot be heard before the Irish courts and argue that the cases should have been brought before the French and UK courts.
Mr Delany, represented by Paul McGarry SC, opposes the motions.
Mr Delany claims that as the letters were published to persons located in Ireland, including his associate and businessman Paddy McKillen, he is entitled to bring the defamation proceedings in this jurisdiction.
In his submissions to the court Mr Dowling said that there was no evidence the letter sent to Mr McKillen was read by anyone in Ireland.
Counsel said that Mr McKillen received the letter when he was in Japan.
The letter was sent to him via an image sent to the businessman from a person working for him.
There was no evidence before the court that Mr McKillen's employee was in Ireland when they forwarded the letter to him.
The hearing of the pre-trial motions opened before Mr Justice Conor Dignam on Wednesday, and the hearing is expected to run for several days.
Mr Delany's actions relate to letters allegedly published to individuals in Ireland and elsewhere on April 13th, 2021.
Alleged conspiracy
Mr Delany, with an address at Chatham Street, Dublin 2, claims that the letters were published by the hotel group and Mr Socker in their capacity as servants and agents of the Qatari defendants.
He further alleges that the publication of the letters occurred as part of an alleged conspiracy against him.
As a result, he has brought proceedings seeking damages, including exemplary and punitive damages for alleged defamation, conspiracy against him and the infliction of loss against him by alleged unlawful means.
As part of his actions, he seeks declarations from the court that the contents of letters contained statements that allegedly defamed him and injured his reputation.
He also seeks declarations to the effect that the letters form part of a conspiracy be the defendants to damage his reputation.
He further seeks an injunction preventing the defendants from republishing the letters.
The hearing of the motions before Mr Justice Dignam continues.
