Businesswoman tells High Court she wants opportunity ‘to clear my good name’

A businesswoman alleged to have threatened to drive her vehicle through the front window of a receiver’s office has told the High Court she wants the opportunity to clear her good name.

Receiver Declan Taite, of the firm Duff and Phelps, has claimed Maireád Barry engaged in acts of intimidation and made threats against him, his family and certain employees of the company.

Last week, Mr Taite’s lawyers secured permission, ex parte (one side only represented) to serve short notice of injunction proceedings against Ms Barry.

He wants an injunction preventing Ms Barry and her servants and agents behaving in a threatening, abusive, intimidating and insulting manner towards him and his associates.

He also seeks orders preventing her attending at or entering Mr Taite’s company offices at Stephen’s Green in Dublin.

When the matter returned before Mr Justice Senan Allen on Friday, Ms Barry represented herself during the brief hearing.

She said she had never been in court before and wanted to bring a “counterclaim” against the allegations against her.

Those allegations were published in the media without anyone asking her about her side of the story, she said.

She wanted the opportunity “to clear my good name”.

She said she was prepared to give undertakings to stay away from the receiver’s office and to communicate with him only through his solicitors.

She did not want the case adjourned generally, but asked the court to adjourn the matter for six months on medical grounds.

Mr Justice Allen agreed to adjourn the matter to late October.

In a sworn statement, Mr Taite has said he was appointed as receiver over three properties in Mallow, Co Cork, belonging to Ms Barry’s husband Mr Tim Sheahan.

Mr Taite said he also had dealings with a company, of which Ms Barry is a director, over the sale of several apartments at the St Lua’s Apartment Complex, Iona Drive, North Circular Road in Limerick.

He said his firm was appointed receiver over those properties but claimed an issue has arisen regarding that transaction.

When Ms Barry was contacted about that issue, her response was troubling, he said.

He claims, when he spoke to her earlier this year, she was abusive and threatening in a sustained manner. He ceased all direct contact with her and said she was informed to only communicate through the receiver’s solicitors.

In early April, Mr Taite said she telephoned his employers and told the person she was speaking with she would drive her vehicle through the front window of Duff and Phelps’ offices.

Mr Taite said he made a complaint to the gardaí who told him her threats are credible and should be taken seriously.

Mr Taite said he was left with no option other than to bring proceedings before the High Court.