Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has responded to RGDATA nominee to the Seanad Mary Fitzpatrick’s concerns that the current Defamation Bill does not go far enough to protect retailers from spurious claims.
“The defence contained in section 8 of the Bill is designed to address the serious issues raised in terms of retail defamation in a manner which promotes legal certainty and adequately balances the rights of all involved.
“This new statutory defence, along with section 31 of the Defamation Act 2009 which makes it clear that the nature, extent and seriousness of the damage caused is relevant to the level of redress that will be awarded, should have a significant deterrent effect on the taking of cases that are without merit,” Minister O’Callaghan wrote.
