High Court proceedings issued against State

THE organisation taking legal action on behalf of homeowners affected by defective concrete have confirmed they are taking up a new case.

Coleman Legal, on behalf of Defective Blocks Ireland CLG, has successfully applied to have proceedings against the Minister for Housing and the Irish State admitted to the Commercial Division of the High Court.

The new claim, involving 75 affected homeowners in Donegal, seeks to hold the Irish State liable for failing to properly implement European oversight and regulatory reporting rules on construction products.

These cases are separate from and in addition to existing Coleman Legal Group litigation against Cassidy Brothers, Donegal County Council and the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

Specifically, the new legal claim alleges the Irish State failed to properly implement Market Surveillance Regulations and Construction Products Regulations from January 1, 2010.

The first of these claims, on behalf of Alan Boal from Letterkenny, alleges a “serious breach of EU law” and was presented to the Commercial Division of the High Court on Monday.

The legal claim further states the Irish State failed to provide relevant oversight and empower state bodies like Donegal County Council with the necessary resources and knowledge to effectively monitor construction products and enforce EU regulations.

This latest legal action represents a significant development in the ongoing defective blocks crisis affecting thousands of homeowners in Donegal and other counties.

Over 2500 homeowners affected by defective concrete damaged homes in Donegal are currently part of a multi-party group litigation in the High Court.

This landmark legal action, led by Coleman Legal, seeks to vindicate the rights of all those affected by the defective concrete crisis and aims to achieve a genuine 100% redress by fully restoring the losses of the homeowners.

High Court judge Mr. Justice Denis McDonald was informed of continuing progress with the wider group litigation at the Commercial Court hearing on Monday.

Judge McDonald was told that testing of lead plaintiffs’ homes will commence next week and continue through the
summer.

Coleman Legal confirmed the High Court that it is scheduled to exchange discovery documents with defendants Cassidy Brothers, Donegal County Council and NSAI in July.

Coleman Legal also expects to receive initial test results from Cassidy’s quarry in early July.

Defective Blocks Ireland CLG, is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Buncrana businessmen Adrian Sheridan and Shaun Hegarty.

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