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Niall Carson/PA Wire

Judge sets aside €14,000 judgement against Donald Trump over planned Doonbeg barrier

Judge Durcan said that Lennon’s vexatious claim “was an attempt to attract publicity”.

A DISTRICT COURT judge today set aside a judgement of €14,095 against the president of the United States, Donald Trump.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan said that the claim by Cork civil engineer, John V Lennon that resulted in the judgement against Mr Trump “has no basis in law whatsoever” and “is vexatious”.

Judge Durcan said that Lennon’s vexatious claim “was an attempt to attract publicity”.

In court, Lennon denied that the claim was vexatious or that he was seeking publicity.

Judge Durcan made his ruling following an application by Co Clare based lawyers for Trump, Patrick Whyms BL and solicitor, Lorraine Burke to have the judgement set aside.

In his ruling, Judge Durcan said that he failed to see how someone of Lennon’s ability and experience in the planning process would not but see the error of his ways and that his actions were motivated by the identity of the respondent (Trump) in the case.

Judge Durcan said that if he was unhappy with what a neighbour was building beside him and he ran up a bill of thousands of euros objecting, he would have to pay the costs no matter what the outcome.

Lennon told the court that he made his claim for the €14,095 as a result of the time and effort he made in objecting to Trump Doonbeg’s planned 200,000 tonne rock barrier last year.

The Trump organisation operate its luxury golf resort at Doonbeg which they purchased for a knock down price in February 2014.

Lennon told the court that he said ‘Happy Christmas to myself’ last December when the rock barrier application was withdrawn at Clare Co Council.

One man protest

Lennon told the court that nine days prior to the withdrawal he staged a one man protest outside Trump Tower on New York City’s against the Trump Doonbeg application.

At Thanksgiving last November, Lennon was pictured outside Trump Tower with a sign saying ‘No wall in Doonbeg, Ireland’.

However, Lennon – of John Paul Lennon & Co, Consulting Engineers, Rosehill Terrace – told the court that he became “intellectually infuriated” when he saw that Trump Doonbeg lodged a new coastal protection works application a few weeks after the withdrawal of the first plan.

He said:

I was happy to let the hare sit following the withdrawal of the first application, but I considered the second application to be an abuse of process and playing fast and loose with the Irish planning process.

He said:

I believed then that I was entitled to recover my time and effort from the first application.

Lennon said that now that Trump is the president of the United States “and has a record I believe…” before Judge Durcan interrupted to say, “Ah, ah, Mr Lennon, you are straying – I want you to deal with the application before the court”.

Lennon said that he knew that the Trump Doonbeg company, TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ltd made the application but that the “dogs on the street know that Mr Trump is the owner of Doonbeg golf club”.

Lennon said:

Mr Trump has gone on public record saying he thinks it is small potatoes and that he doesn’t have that much interest in it.

Counsel for Trump, Patrick Whyms BL said that Mr Trump was never served with the claim. He said:

The planning application was not made by Mr Trump but by TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ltd.

Mr Whyms said that the alleged basis of liability has no basis in law and that the claim is patently vexatious.

He said that Lennon obtained the judgement in the local court office last June.

Whyms said even if judgement is set aside, it doesn’t prevent Lennon from proceeding with his claim at a later date.

Whyms applied for his client’s costs in the case, but Judge Durcan said that the issue of costs can be reserved until the full hearing into Mr Lennon’s claim is heard.

Speaking outside court, Lennon said that was satisfied with the outcome and confident that he would win the overall action concerning his claim for €14,095 when it is heard. He said:

Today was very satisfactory for me.

Asked about Judge Durcan’s comments that he made the claim for the publicity, Lennon said:

I did it because I was annoyed. I couldn’t give a shit about publicity. I don’t need publicity.

Earlier this year, President Trump resigned as a director of the two Trump Doonbeg resort firms just days before he was sworn in as President.

Read: Former company director who stole over €460,000 from another firm to keep business afloat sentenced to 18 months in prison

Read: Man (45) jailed for 7 and a half years after raping two women he met in a nightclub

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    Mute Seymour business
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:36 PM

    Always seemed to me to be genuinely committed to getting to the truth. Rare enough in big party politics.

    209
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    Mute Randal McNally
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    Feb 28th 2017, 11:50 PM

    Rare ? You mean “Never Seen” !

    22
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    Mute MuckyMoo
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:35 PM

    RIP. One of the good guys in politics

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    Mute Euro is Dead
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:48 PM

    Cometh the hour, Cometh the man. He will be sorely missed. Ar Dheis De go Raibh a Anam

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    Mute Willie Bill Bryan
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:51 PM

    One of the good ones RIP Peter

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    Mute John McGuirk
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:44 PM

    This is a beaufifully written obituary. I’m always first to criticise the Journal when it gets it wrong, but this is a great piece of Journalism. Well done Orla Ryan.

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    Mute Tony Daly
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:37 PM

    He was well intentioned, principled, noble, decent and fair minded.

    He saw through thevdysfunctionality and malgovernance of the Banks, as well as the deleterious effect of the banking abuses on society.

    149
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    Mute Charlie Wrex
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:01 PM

    Always struck me as a man of principle, good humour, and great insight. One of the good guys.

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    Mute Sean @114
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:27 PM

    His tussles with Vincent Brown were legendary. RIP.

    94
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    Mute Emmet O'Keeffe
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:21 PM

    Always managed to get right under Vincent Browne’s skin.

    84
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    Mute Patrick j Brady
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:27 PM

    RIP….a man of principles. . Called it as it was…. sadly not many td’s like him…

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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:25 PM

    A good apple in a barrel of bad ones rip

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    Mute Paul Lane
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:13 PM

    A genuinly good guy, albeit I disagreed with a lot he had to say, but he was always very brave on Vincent Browne and sadly missed. What a loss

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    Mute Sparxz1
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:58 PM

    No place in Lenster house for Men of High Calibre and noble principle !
    The Face of Kenny & so-called Dr O’Reilly laughing at dying man(he had already being diagnosed).
    I wonder how many are thinking today, that Lenister house cannot be reformed, & will have to be abolished to some how save the Irish Nation.

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:43 PM

    Nice tribute Orla.

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    Mute Phil O'Donnell
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:31 PM

    Sincere condolences to your family and friends. Would not have agreed with you on all policies but was a huge admirer. In my opinion a person of hige integrity and in politics for all the right reasons. R.I.P..

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:44 PM

    “Kenny said he was “deeply saddened” by Mathews’ death” hypocrite…..

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    Mute Mick Rick Jones
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    Mar 13th 2017, 7:42 PM

    @Kerry Blake: your comment is spot on, and can be extended to others in Fine Gael and Labour leadership , who drove Matthews and other decent people of conscience, out of the Dail.

    Their hypocrisy extends along the Fine Gael front bench, to Labour as well. No room for conscience on abortion there.

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    Mute the truth
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:51 PM

    struck me as a genuine fella who wanted to make a difference then realised he hadn’t a hope of being allowed do anything .

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    Mute Noel Holland
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:42 PM

    RIP peter mathews. That u tube video is worth a watch….

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    Mute Randal McNally
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    Feb 28th 2017, 11:48 PM

    Yes. He asked the hard questions and got few answers from our “Closed Ranked” political and unaccountable civil service parasites ! RIP

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    Mute Aindriú Purfield
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    Mar 1st 2017, 3:57 AM

    Noonan knows nothing about Economics or Finance.

    He’s just a perfect lackey for the ECB and the eurogroup and that is why he was put where he was.

    History has already absolved honest and intelligent politicians like Matthews and shown up Noonan and Kenny for the slimy subhuman worms that they are.

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Mar 1st 2017, 8:11 AM

    Our electoral system yields up some TDs of quality, who stand out from the party foot soldiers as professional, & strong in character, & who genuinely seem intent on contributing to building a better society. Mr. Mathews was one that few, but the stultified & whipped party system failed to recognise & give scope for that powerful intellectual commitment to the community. That his challenges to the “system” we’re smothered by his own party is yet another bad reflection on their recent form.

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    Mute Eoghan Pettit
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    Mar 1st 2017, 12:05 PM

    He was thoughtful, reasonable, well spoken and his own man. Very sad for his family. RIP

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    Mute KerryBlueMike
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    Mar 1st 2017, 10:21 PM

    Rip Peter, you did well sir.

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    Mute Mick Rick Jones
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    Mar 13th 2017, 7:37 PM

    Peter Matthews bravely, with a few others, opposed the Kenny/Labour abortion bill in 2013..

    Like Lucinda Creighton, B Timmons,T Flanagan — all Fine Gael TDs, driven from Fine Gael and the Dail, shamefully refused a free, conscientious vote — Peter Matthews, for his honest principles and stand aginst abortion, was also driven out of Fine Gael, for upholding their election promise not to legalise abortion.

    I hope none of the Fine Gael/Labour pro abortion hierarchy, who refused him and others that free vote of conscience on abortion, show their shameful faces at his funeral, or insult his decent memory now, with their customary crocodile tears of condolence.

    In 2013, we saw how they treated him and others.

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