Woman loses €38k bid over counterfeit notes claim

A woman who claimed she was accused at a post office of trying to pass counterfeit notes has lost a €38,000 damages claim for defamation in the Circuit Civil Court.

Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke said that although he accepted postmistress Bridget Tierney had been entitled to call the gardaí, nothing would have happened if her office had been kept in a proper manner.

The judge said the post office note checker had been broken for several days as its bulb was gone, but it would not have been unreasonable for Ms Tierney to ask Winnie McDonagh to come back during lunchtime and change the bulb in the meantime.