A PILOT who has taken an unfair dismissal case against businessman Larry Goodman has been threatened with a defamation action by a former colleague.
It has also emerged that Ronan Murtagh, who previously flew Mr Goodman’s private jet, rejected the businessman’s offer to let him return to his job “under protest”.
Earlier this week the Employment Appeals Tribunal heard from Mr Murtagh, son of Kingspan chief Eugene Murtagh, that his employment came to end after he refused to fly with another pilot over serious safety concerns.
The tribunal chairman instructed that this pilot was to be identified only as PQ, but his surname was mentioned a number of times.
Mr Murtagh’s counsel Tom Mallon said yesterday he received a solicitor’s letter on behalf of PQ “threatening my client with defamation”.
Mr Murtagh is claiming losses of €83,000 arising from his alleged unfair dismissal. However, counsel for Mr Goodman, Ercus Stewart SC, put it to the pilot, who currently earns €10,000 a month flying for a Russian businessman, that he is now financially better off. His salary when working for Mr Goodman’s company Ven Air was €100,000 a year.
He also suggested that Mr Murtagh could have mitigated his loss after he stopped working for Mr Goodman in 2009 by applying for a job with his former employer CitiJet, or with his father, who uses a Learjet owned by one of his companies.
Mr Murtagh said he did not wish to go back to working for airlines as he liked the business aviation world. He did not apply to his father for a job as he believes it is “best not to fly for family”.
When asked by Mr Stewart whether his earnings since leaving Ven Air were “into his pocket”, Mr Murtagh said his Russian employer pays him “from Liechtenstein”. He said he was working with his tax adviser to find the “best solution” for his tax affairs.
From April 15th, 2009, onwards, Mr Murtagh made it clear he was no longer prepared to work with PQ. He confirmed yesterday that he rejected proposals put forward by Mr Goodman in a meeting on April 28th aimed at resolving the situation. The businessman suggested that he could return to work for him under protest, and that he would not have to fly with PQ. However, Mr Murtagh said he did not think it was appropriate to return under protest, and he did not feel there would be a “healthy atmosphere”.
The case, which began in November, has been adjourned until September.