Aer Lingus pilot succeeds in getting reduced defamation award increased to €202k

The original €387,000 defamation award by a jury was cut to €76,500 on appeal, but has now been raised again

Capt. Higgins (pictured here in 2019) was found by a High Court jury to have been defamed by the Irish Aviation Authority in three emails sent by the IAA in 2013. Photo: Collins Courts

An Aer Lingus pilot whose €387,000 defamation award by a jury was cut to €76,500 on appeal has had the award upped to €202,500 by the Supreme Court.

The new award to Captain Padraig Higgins, which includes €175,000 for general damages, brings to an end a nine-year legal battle by the Airbus pilot.