Judge rules defamation claim by Eoghan Harris against journalist be heard by High Court

The former Sunday Independent columnist has claimed in proceedings he brought before the Circuit Court that he was defamed in a tweet posted by Aoife Moore about him in early May 2021.

Aoife Moore and another journalist, Allison Morris, have brought separate High Court proceedings against Eoghan Harris (pictured) claiming that they were defamed in posts on a Twitter account called ”Barbara J. Pym”, allegedly operated by Mr Harris and others on dates between 2020 and 2021. File photo: Leon Farrell/RollingNews.ie

A judge has dismissed an appeal by former Sunday Independent columnist Eoghan Harris against the Circuit Court's decision to transfer his defamation action against journalist Aoife Moore to the High Court.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Paul Burns, confirming the transfer of Mr Harris's case to the High Court, said that the matters to be addressed in both Mr Harris's action against Ms Moore and her defamation claim against him should be “tried at the same time in the same venue by the same court”.