Overview
- An apology was read in the High Court on behalf of Shane Ross and publisher Atlantic Books to Martin Lanigan, who had sued over passages in a 2022 biography of Mary Lou McDonald.
- Counsel stated the defendants never intended to suggest IRA membership or illicit funds and acknowledged Lanigan was above suspicion.
- Mr Justice Tony O’Connor struck out the proceedings by consent and vacated previous cost orders.
- A jury had been empanelled for a hearing expected to last about five days, with potential witnesses including Lanigan, Ross, journalist Sam Smyth, a quantity surveyor, and a mortgage broker.
- Lanigan said he was satisfied with the apology and declined to comment on whether any payment formed part of the settlement.