In a twist of events, Mike Rizzuto, the offspring of Stephen Termini, an American holidaymaker who was brutally assaulted in central Dublin in the past year, is taking legal action against two popular Irish dailies, accusing them of slander. Rizzuto has initiated High Court proceedings against the Irish Daily Star and the Irish Daily Mirror, both properties of MGN Limited. It has come to light that his grievances pertain to how the newspapers reported on a fundraising initiative he organised subsequent to his father’s assault.
Stephen Termini, a 57-year-old resident of Buffalo, New York, sustained severe cranial injuries from an attack perpetrated by three teenagers on Talbot Street in the late hours of July 2023. The incident, highly publicised, sparked a nationwide discourse on urban safety and the quantity of police present in city areas. This prompted the Justice Minister, Helen McEntee, to allocate additional millions to pay police to secure the city.
Following the attack, Termini had to be admitted to the intensive care unit of the Mater Hospital for two weeks. He had to undergo surgery to preserve his vision and also suffered a fracture in his skull and a cerebral haemorrhage, requiring artificial respiration for a couple of days.
In response, Rizzuto launched a GoFundMe campaign to amass funds for medical costs and to facilitate the travel of Termini’s family to Ireland during his recuperation. A grand total of over €120,000 was contributed by around 4600 benefactors within a few weeks, enabling Rizzuto and his sibling to journey to Ireland.
However, upon Termini’s discharge from the hospital, he claimed he hadn’t received any funds from the donations. In response, Rizzuto clarified that the collected funds were not meant for Termini’s personal expenditure and mentioned that necessary deductions for taxes and other expenses would be made prior to any decision regarding the use of funds.
Following this, Termini launched his personal GoFundMe campaign, with an objective of raising $100,200 (€93,632) to relocate to Ireland and secure Irish citizenship. The effort has raised a mere $235 so far.
These series of events have been extensively covered by the Irish media. Rizzuto’s legal battle against the newspapers is being represented by MacGuill and Company solicitors. A date for a preliminary hearing is yet to be determined.
Usually, the High Court hears libel cases valued above €75,000, but it retains the discretion to grant lesser amounts if the plaintiff wins the case. Both Mr Rizzuto’s lawyers and Reach plc, which is the holding company of MGN, have been approached for their remarks.