Broadcaster Paul Byrne has launched a High Court Action against Virgin Media television due to its decision to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings against him. The High Court has been informed that this case is temporarily adjourned due to an agreement between both parties to settle the issue through mediation.
As a southern correspondent for the channel, Mr. Byrne filed a lawsuit against his employer alleging a flawed disciplinary procedure. However, these allegations have been refuted. On Tuesday, Mr. Justice Mark Sanfey was informed of the postponement for a month as mediation to resolve the dispute was in the works. The decision to bring the case forward to June had been agreed upon by the judge, who had earlier recommended seeking a resolution outside court.
Previously, the court had heard that Mr. Byrne was suspended from his duties following a live report he delivered on February 9th last year involving the death of a young boy in County Waterford. According to the court, Mr. Byrne reported that one of the Gardai’s investigation angles into the child’s death was the supposed drowning of the boy who was then allegedly put inside a car.
Mr. Byrne’s claims were reported after verifying the information with at least two reliable sources and after two other media outlets had released the same information. However, the broadcasted information was later found to be false. Subsequent to this, Mr. Byrne alleges that he was suspended by his employer for apparent breach of the News Guidelines and Production Handbook as he supposedly failed to discuss the issue with his line manager prior to airing the report.
He fears that this disciplinary process might lead to his termination for purported serious misconduct while denying any offense. He believes that the method employed by his employer is flawed, excessively punitive, disproportionate, and should be invalidated. Furthermore, he alleges that this procedure lacks authenticity and is infringing his contractual rights.
He states that he was requested to attend a disciplinary hearing as part of this process but he was unable to do so due to medical reasons. His concern is that the outcome of this delayed meeting could significantly impact his employment and reputation. Therefore, he brought proceedings before the High Court to prevent Virgin Media Ireland Ltd and Virgin Media Television Limited from furthering the disciplinary proceedings against him.
The plaintiff is pursuing demands that the defendants compensate his wages and perks, revoke his suspension, and refrain from entrusting anyone with Mr Byrne’s responsibilities. The court learned from exchanged letters that the defendants repudiate the allegations made by Mr Byrne against them and the disciplinary procedures they adopted. As a state broadcaster, they perceive the purported violation as a grave matter and communicated to him the necessity for measures to prevent recurrence.