The High Court has been told that a student who has taken out injunctions against Facebook, Google and a number of other internet companies is seeking a so-called "super injunction" against a number of national newspapers over their reporting of the case.
22-year-old Eoin McKeogh, a student of international business and Japanese at Dublin City University, obtained the original injunctions arising out of the broadcast on the internet of an allegedly defamatory video clip, as well as the accompanying text and a Facebook profile.
He claimed if the broadcast was allowed to continue it would blight his career and the rest of his life. He also claimed he was not even in the country at the time the video was alleged to have been made.
This morning his lawyers began legal proceedings against The Irish Times, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, The Irish Examiner, Irish Daily Star and The Sunday Times.
Mr McKeogh's lawyers claim that by identifying Mr McKeogh and giving extra details about the case, the newspapers have breached the High Court's order preventing any republication of the alleged defamatory allegation.
The newspapers argued that there was no order preventing the publication of Mr McKeogh's name and they were simply reporting on what had happened in court.
Mr Justice Michael Peart did not make any order preventing Mr McKeogh from being named and said to his lawyers "the genie is out of the bottle."
Lawyers for The Sunday Times said a super injunction was being sought against them as Mr McKeogh was attempting to prevent them from publishing an article on Sunday.
Lawyers for Facebook said they were very surprised Mr McKeogh's lawyers were making such an application.
Barrister Rossa Fanning said Mr McKeogh's lawyers had never made any application for a "super injunction" at the original hearing and there was no precedent for such an injunction in this jurisdiction.
What had occurred was simply "conventional reporting" on the case by newspapers.
Mr McKeogh's senior counsel, Pauline Whalley said, she was not seeking a super injunction but simply seeking an order preventing Mr McKeogh from being named.
Mr Justice Peart said he would hear the application and the newspapers' response in full on Saturday morning.
