Judge delays eviction order on mother of four

A High Court judge has given a mother of four on social welfare another week before deciding if a bank should be allowed seize her €700,000 property.

High Court President Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns said he was adjourning the matter for a week to give Mary White and Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank an opportunity of filing further legal documents.

Judge Kearns last week blocked the Dublin City Sheriff, James C Barry, from evicting Ms White and her family from 190 Upper Rathmines Road, Dublin. He had asked Ms White to file an affidavit explaining why she thought he should further restrain the eviction.

Barrister Anne Lawlor, for the bank, said last week that she had been in the Circuit Court when the bank was granted the order for possession. Ms Lawlor had told the court that Ms White had not made a single repayment on three loans totalling €469,000 which she had taken out more than 10 years ago. She now owed more than €210,000 in arrears and the current outstanding balance was above €569,000.

The Circuit Civil Court had granted the bank in August last year, possession of Ms White’s property and she had been given six months to vacate the property.

The bank had not moved on the order until Ms White had been served two weeks ago with a notice from the Sheriff informing her of his intention to execute an ejectment order if the property was not vacated.