McIlroy’s father to provide files for legal dispute

Golfer Rory McIlroy’s father is to be asked to produce documents as part of his son’s legal dispute with a sports management company, the Commercial Court has heard.

Mr McIlroy’s counsel, Rossa Fanning, said his side was “very surprised” by the application by the sports company for discovery of documents against Gerry McIlroy, who is not a party to the case.

The golfer’s caddy, JP Fitzgerald, has also been ordered to produce documents by the management company so it can defend Mr McIlroy’s claim an agreement he made is invalid.

Mr McIlroy is suing Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management Ltd and two other companies, Gurteen Ltd, with a registered address in Malta, and Canovan Management Services which is also based in Dublin.

He claims a representation agreement signed by him in December 2011 is invalid and unenforceable on a number of grounds, including alleged undue influence.

The agreement, he says, was signed when he was aged just 22, inexperienced and without the benefit of independent legal advice.

The defendants deny the claims and have counter-claimed for about $3m (€2.4m) allegedly outstanding under the agreement for off-course revenues. They also claim additional monies are owed under both the December 2011 agreement and a later agreement of March 2013.

They are also claiming damages for alleged past and continuing breaches of both agreements.

Last month, the court heard attempts to mediate the dispute had failed and the case will now go to full hearing.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Brian McGovern was told that, in preparation for the hearing, the McIlroy side had produced a particular document for inspection by the defendants after Horizon brought a court application seeking its production.

As a result, Paul Sreenan SC, for the defendants, said that application to the court could be struck out.

Mr Sreenan said a number of categories of documents in relation to the caddy had been agreed and the judge made an order that they be disclosed.

Counsel also said they would also be making applications next week in relation to documents held by Mr McIlroy Sr and those held by a former employee of Horizon who now works for Mr McIroy. A date for hearing of these would have to be set.

Mr Fanning, for Rory McIlroy, agreed this would probably take some time to hear and a date would have to be fixed. Counsel said the application in relation to Mr McIlroy Sr “came as a surprise to us”.

The court also heard the defendants would shortly supply Mr McIlroy’s lawyers with exact details of the total amount they are seeking in their counter-claim.