Senior Irish executive Sinead McSweeney settles action against Twitter

The case had previously been adjourned to allow talks to take place between the sides.

Sinéad McSweeney File Picture: Denis Minihane

A senior Irish-based executive with Twitter, Sinead McSweeney, has settled her High Court action against the company.

Last month Ms McSweeney, who is Twitter's global vice president for public policy, secured a temporary High Court injunction preventing the social networking giant from terminating her contract of employment.

The dispute was adjourned to allow talks to take place between the sides.

The case was listed before Mr Justice Brian O'Moore today.

However, the court was informed that the matter had been settled, and the full proceedings could, with the consent of the parties, be struck out.

All orders previously granted by the court were also discharged.

No details of any settlement agreement, which is understood to be confidential, were given in open court.

Ms McSweeney, a qualified barrister who graduated in law from UCC, had claimed in her action that by not responding to a generic and vague email sent to all of Twitter employees by its new owner, multibillionaire Elon Musk, in November asking them to tick the yes box if they wanted to be part of Twitter, she was treated as if she was no longer employed by the company.

Twitter owner Elon Musk. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

A native of Midleton, Co Cork, Ms McSweeney said that she never resigned from her job but had been locked out of Twitter's IT system and was unable to access the firm's Dublin office.

In reply, Twitter, represented by Mark Connaughton, said that the company was offering undertakings to restore Ms McSweeney's access to all aspects of the company's IT system and Twitter's Irish premises at George's Quay in Dublin 2.

Twitter also told the High Court that it wanted to enter into negotiations with Ms McSweeney aimed at resolving the dispute.

Mr Justice O'Moore had previously encouraged the sides to be forthright in any discussions they had regarding her employment.

Represented by Frank Beatty, instructed by solicitor Adrian Twomey, Ms McSweeney had claimed that she had been informed that she had accepted an exit package from the company following her decision not to respond to Mr Musk's email to the company's employees in mid November.

She said that while she had not resigned, Ms McSweeney said she was then locked out of her office and Twitter's internal IT systems.

The court heard that solicitors' letters on her behalf were sent to Twitter.

She claimed that in reply to these letters, Twitter's lawyers acknowledged to her that she had not resigned, confirmed that her commitment to her work "had never been questioned", and that her access to the IT systems and her office would be restored.

She says that despite that communication from the company, she remained locked out of both the IT systems and Twitter's Dublin office, leaving her embarrassed, humiliated, and upset.

Despite Twitter's response, she remained concerned about her job because of the "mixed messages" she had been getting from both Mr Musk himself and his senior US-based associates since the company was taken over.

As a result of her concerns, Ms McSweeney commenced a legal action against the company, resulting in her securing a temporary court order preventing Twitter International Unlimited Company from terminating her contract of employment. 

The injunction also restrained Twitter from applying the terms of an email sent to her on November 16 last by Elon Musk, to her contract or condition of employment.