De Rossa libel action bill thrown out

The Taxing Master of the High Court has thrown out a bill for £122,000 which had been submitted by the Worker's Party. The bill was for work the party was asked to do for the former Democratic Left leader, Proinsias de Rossa, in connection with his libel action against Independent Newspapers.

In 1997, Mr de Rossa was awarded £300,000 damages and costs by the High Court after a jury found he had been libelled by journalist Eamon Dunphy in the Sunday Independent five years earlier. The Taxing Master, James Flynn, totally rejected the Workers Party bill for people who had assisted in discovering documents in preparation for Mr de Rossa's case. He decided the party was at no financial loss for work done, because those participating were or had been party members.

James Flynn also reduced the £35,000 fee sought by the Workers Party solicitor to £25,000. Master Flynn said that a political party unlike a commercial company does not exist for profit. He said it has to be remembered that the allegations levelled against a former leader of the Workers Party also affected the image and trust of the party itself. Accordingly the Workers Party had an obligation to assist in the de Rossa litigation for the benefit of the membership and their supporters. He said it had an obligation to the former leader for his devoted service to the party.