A director of well-known sausage-making business has brought High Court proceedings aimed at preventing her husband and mother-in-law from firing her and removing her as a director.
The action has been brought by businesswoman Caroline Kerrigan-Hick, who is a director and employee of Dún Laoghaire-based firms that trade as Hick's sausages.
She claims as result of asking her husband Nigel Hicks, who she has been estranged from for several years, for a divorce her employment has been unlawfully terminated.
The court also heard that an attempt is being made to remove her as a director of the firm she has worked for since 1995.
Mr Justice Kevin Feeney granted Ms Kerrigan-Hick's lawyers permission to serve short service of proceedings against her husband Nigel, Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire and her mother-in law Mrs Rosaleen Hick, Sion Road, Glenageary.
She is also seeking various orders against Sussed Food Company Ltd, a sausage retailer trading as Hick's sausages, and Mrs Hick Ltd, a sausage wholesale company both of Lower Georges Street, Dún Laoghaire.
Ms Kerrigan-Hick, Patrick Street Dún Laoghaire seeks injunctions including one preventing the defendants from terminating her employment with the companies.
She also wants an order that her salary is paid and that no other person can be appointed to her position in the company.
Ms Kerrigan-Hick is also seeking declaration from the court that she owns 55% of Sussed Food Company Ltd. She also wants the court to prevent her husband and mother-in-law from holding a general meeting of Sussed until she is registered as the owner of the share capital of Sussed Food Company Ltd.
Her counsel Ross Gorman BL said that meeting is due to take place on Friday. The meeting is to consider a resolution to remove his client as director and secretary of Sussed.
Counsel said that his client's difficulties arose when she asked her husband for a divorce last March. Since then counsel said his client was subjected to a number of bizarre accusations by the defendants which counsel said his client rejects.
The court also heard that last April when she attempted to enter the business premises her husband called the gardaí, and she was arrested.
Since then her wages had been stopped and she has not gone near the office.
This counsel said has caused his client hardship. She was very upset at what had happened, which was why she had not moved earlier to stop the company meeting from going ahead.
In an affidavit to the court Ms Kerrigan Hick said that another person had been engaged by her husband to run the business. This she said amounted to an unlawful termination of her employment.
Hick’s sausages was established by Mr Hick's family. She said that she and Nigel, with the help of Rosaleen, who is also director, took over the running and ownership of the business in the late 90s.
She added that Nigel had no real interest in the business and wanted to be a DJ. Since 2005 he spent extend period of time out of the country, and she was left to run the business on her own.
However when he returned he caused havoc and undermined many decisions she made.
