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Man claims financial institutions failed to forward child maintenance payments

Summary

A man, whose identity is withheld for legal reasons, has brought a defamation claim against Ulster Bank and EBS, alleging that the banks failed to forward child‑maintenance payments to his former partner for about 12 years. He says that after a court order required him to pay roughly €45 per week for his son, he set up a standing order with Ulster Bank to transfer the money to his ex‑partner's EBS account. The funds were instead held in a holding account and never reached her. He discovered the issue during a phone call with her, who claimed she had never received any payments. The man argues that the banks' alleged negligence damaged his relationship with his son and harmed his reputation. The case reached the Court of Appeal, where the appeal by EBS to strike out the defamation claim was dismissed, with the court upholding the High Court's decision that the claim was not bound to fail.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man claims financial institutions failed to forward child maintenance payments. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• 2020-01-21 Publication

Why: The man alleges that failures by Ulster Bank and EBS damaged his relationship with his son for many years because his former partner believed he was not making the maintenance payments. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal

Read the original CNI report