The High Court has been told that an investigation into Kenny Jacobs' conduct will be paused pending the hearing of his legal action aimed at allowing him to return to work.
The currently suspended Chief Executive of daa, which operates Dublin Airport and Cork Airport, began legal proceedings against his employer last Thursday.
Mr Jacobs, who was not present in court, is seeking an order restraining a disciplinary investigation from proceeding and an order lifting his suspension from his role last month.
Mairéad McKenna SC, for daa, said the airport operator "absolutely opposed" Mr Jacobs’ application.
However, she committed to the High Court that her client would instruct Kelley Smith SC not to commence her investigation into Mr Jacobs while his application for interlocutory injunctions is being heard.
Mr Jacobs was previously cleared of two allegations by an inquiry headed by senior counsel Mark Connaughton.
In an affidavit submitted to the High Court last week, he said a further 20 allegations were being lined up against him in order to secure a particularly unfavourable decision against him in the proposed investigation.
Ms Smith has been appointed to carry out a new investigation into the fresh complaints.
Padraic Lyons SC, for Mr Jacobs, told the High Court that his client’s case is one of "pressing and particular urgency".
He asked for the case to proceed on 5 February and 6 February.
Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger said while she is amenable to giving the case an urgent date for hearing, she said she was not in a position to fix a date today, in the absence of an affidavit from daa.
Mr Lyons said that both sides have agreed to allowing daa to file an affidavit in response to his client’s affidavit by 6pm this Friday, 16 January.
He told the court an affidavit in reply from Mr Jacobs would be filed by 6pm on Thursday, 22 January.
The judge put the case back for mention to Friday, 23 February.
In his affidavit, Mr Jacobs described allegations against him of "sexist, misogynistic, racist, homophobic and ageist behaviour" in comments to or about daa employees as baseless.
He also described, in written evidence before the High Court, allegations that he had been responsible for suicidal ideation by employees as false and unjustifiably made.
The suspended daa CEO further denied allegations of having interfered with procurement processes by the state-owned company.
Mr Jacobs was suspended from his role as CEO on 15 December, after being presented with a list of 20 complaints by the board.
It follows months of wrangling between Mr Jacobs and the daa board of directors.
An exit package had been agreed between the daa and Mr Jacobs in mid-September.
However, the package was not signed off by Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers.
