Judges to advise on libel damages

JUDGES will be able to advise juries on the size of damages for libel by the end of next month, it was confirmed last night.

After three record-breaking awards in the last three years, including the highest ever to communications consultant Monica Leech in the past week, new defamation legislation is expected to be signed into law before the end of July.

The reform will allow a High Court judge to give juries guidance on how much money libel victims are paid. The Supreme Court will also have power to order a revised pay-out.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the record €1.87 million awarded to PR consultant Monica Leech by a High Court jury showed a clear need for reform.

Independent Newspapers is appealing the payout against its Evening Herald newspaper, which implied in a series of articles that Mrs Leech won lucrative contracts because she was having an extramarital affair with Minister Martin Cullen. The 49-year-old from Co Waterford was appointed special adviser to the then environment minister in November 2004.

Yesterday, in an emotional interview on 4FM with broadcaster Tom McGurk, Ms Leech revealed how she had brought her deceased parents’ memory cards to court with her to give her strength during the trial.

Ms Leech broke down as she spoke of the stress the libel had caused her and her family. “It was a difficult time for us because you know I’m one of 12 and we had just buried my mother, and you know what that’s like, when the central intelligence in your family dies, and my own husband had had a misfortune in that he had an operation that went dreadfully wrong and he ended up with MRSA, so we were battling as a family,” Ms Leech said.

“It was the oldest, dirtiest little plot in the book: a woman can only progress and produce any worthwhile work and secure any worthwhile work through. . . some relationship with a man. In this case, the inference was I was having an affair with Martin Cullen.”

She said her wider family and her husband, John, had never believed the rumours, even though “you had very cowardly politicians jumping up and down in Leinster House and making political collateral on it when they absolutely knew there was nothing there”.

“People clearly believed I was this dishonest floozy, paid large sums of money to do nothing, but have an affair with the minister.”

She said Mr Cullen “felt dreadful John and I as private citizens had been drawn into this and it was very much outside his control”.

She said she was relieved when the Taoiseach ordered an inquiry because she knew she would be vindicated and she felt the same about the court case. “I actually feel very strongly the only thing you take with you when you leave this world is your good name and I would not meet my parents in Heaven with that stain on my name and I wouldn’t hand that on to my sons as well.”

Ms Leech said she had endured years of nudges and winks, being spat at, insulted and having property vandalised on account of the rumours.