Irish boss of Japan stud sues UL and students

An Irish vet who runs a stud farm in Japan has sued the University of Limerick (UL) alleging defamation and reputational damage as a result of how it reacted to allegations by two female students about his behaviour towards them while on placement at the farm.

Dr Harry Sweeney — with addresses at Dunshaughlin, Co Meath and Hokkaido, Japan — and Y K Paca Paca Farm, Hokkaido, Japan, are in three cases, suing UL and each of the students over alleged defamation.

The plaintiffs say there is no basis to claims by the students about the behaviour of Dr Sweeney towards them while on placement there between January and March 2014 as part of their UL courses in equine studies.