Courts / Dublin / Report

High Court challenge over Clerys redundancy investigation

Date
2016-07-01

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

In a High Court hearing set for 7 July, D2 Private Ltd and its director, Ms Deidre Foley, will challenge the authority of inspectors from the Workplace Relations Commission and An Garda Siochana to enter their offices and seize documents during an investigation into the collective redundancies at Clerys Department Store. The inspectors, appointed after Clerys' closure in June 2015, entered D2's premises in May and took various materials, including correspondence with liquidators and former directors of OCS Operations. D2 and Ms Foley argue that the inspectors lack the power to enter their premises or lawfully take the requested computer and materials, and that only documents relevant to the investigation may be seized. The case also involves a parallel challenge by Natrium Ltd, a joint venture that acquired Clerys, which seeks to contest the inspectors' powers and claims some materials are privileged.