High Court action against John Magnier transferred to competition list

Billionaire and his Coolmore Stud are accused of breaching competition law

The plaintiff seeks a declaration prohibiting John Magnier (pictured) and Coolmore from instructing, directing, inducing, threatening, or otherwise causing any third party including the Fethard Equine Hospital from ceasing or disrupting services to it. File picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

A High Court action by construction magnate Maurice Regan's stud farm against billionaire John Magnier and his stud for allegedly breaching competition law has been transferred to the competition list of the Commercial Court division.

Mr Regan's Newtown Anner Stud Farm Ltd, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, claims Mr Magnier and a number of other parties have employed anti-competitive practices and abuse of a dominant position in the market by barring Newtown from using a local equine hospital as well as Coolmore itself.

Along with Mr Magnier, Newtown Anner has also sued his son MV Magnier, Linley Investments trading as Coolmore/Castlehyde and Associated Stud Farms, Trans European Transport Ltd, along with Coolmore executives Michael Ryan, William Macksey, Jerome Case, Paul Shanahan, and David Wachman.

Also sued are O’Byrne & Halley Veterinary Surgeons Ltd, Fethard Surgical Ltd and Equine Diagnostic Laboratory Ltd.

The plaintiff seeks a declaration prohibiting Magnier and Coolmore from instructing, directing, inducing, threatening, or otherwise causing any third party including the Fethard Equine Hospital from ceasing or disrupting services to it.

The defendants have denied the claims.

On Monday, the case was briefly mentioned before Ms Justice Eileen Roberts in the Commercial Court when Martin Hayden SC, for Newtown Anner, said the case should be in the competition list. 

The judge agreed to counsel's request to transfer the case to that list.