Legislation needs to be urgently enacted to address mounting difficulties with securing access to justice in the civil courts, particularly in the context of complex commercial litigation, the Supreme Court has said.

The Irish arm of HSBC is being sued for more than half a billion dollars arising from the massive Ponzi scheme run by jailed US fraudster Bernard Madoff.

THE US trustee handling the liquidation of the business of alleged $65 billion (e50bn) fraudster Bernard Madoff has told the High Court he has decided not to participate “at this stage” in court proceedings here.