LAWYERS FOR THE President of the United States, Donald J Trump, appeared at a west of Ireland district court today seeking to have a judgement for €14,095 against him set aside.
At Kilrush District Court, Pat Whyms BL appeared on behalf of the billionaire in the case against Cork civil engineer, John V Lennon.
On 15 June last, Lennon secured a judgement of €14,095 against Trump after a bill of €14,095 Lennon sent to Trump went unpaid.
Lennon of John Paul Lennon & Co, Consulting Engineers, Rosehill Terrace, Cork said that he had the court order with him in court.
Lennon has previously stated that the €14,095 bill arises from the work he put into lodging an objection against plans by Trump Doonbeg for a 200,000 tonne rock barrier at the Trump golf resort on the west Clare coast.
The Trump Doonbeg firm, TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ireland Ltd, subsequently withdrew that rock barrier plan last December in favour of a scaled-down planning application that is currently before Clare County Council.
Lennon claims that Trump wasted his time, in the time he put in lodging the hand-written six page objection against the large-scale plan. Lennon has also lodged an eight-page objection against the current planning application.
At Thanksgiving last November, Lennon was pictured outside Trump Tower in New York City staging a one-man protest with a sign saying “No wall in Doonbeg, Ireland”.
The case involving the US President appeared on the Kilrush court list – ‘John Vianney Lennon v Donald J Trump’. The west Clare town of Kilrush is located 17km from the Trump golf course that Trump’s organisation purchased in February 2014.
Earlier this year, President Trump resigned as a director of the two Trump Doonbeg resort firms just days before he was sworn in as President.
When the case was called yesterday Whyms said: “It is my application to set aside judgement.”
In response to Judge Patrick Durcan asking “you represent Donald J Trump?”, Whyms replied “Yes”.
He said that he was instructed in the case by Ennis based solicitor, Lorraine Burke, who was also in court today.
Whyms said that his application “is dealt with on submissions but there are complex issues and it could take up to 30 minutes”.
Lennon was representing himself in court today and he told Judge Durcan: “An order was made for me to collect €14,095 and €725 costs against Donald J Trump.”
In reply, Judge Durcan said: “Obviously the order has been made by the court, but it is open to the respondent (Trump) as in this case to make an application pursuant to court rules and the court has to deal with it.”
Judge Durcan said that the court did not have the time to deal with the application “as essentially this is a criminal day and it is a question of finding a day that it can be heard”.
Addressing Lennon, Judge Durcan said: “This matter, I’m told, will take some time and it is a heavy criminal list today.”
Judge Durcan told Whyms: “It is a case that should be dealt with in a certain amount of despatch.”
Lennon told the court that the first day he is free is on 31 October and Judge Durcan adjourned the case to 2pm on 12 December for hearing in Ennis.
Judge Durcan said: “This will you allow you time to travel up from Cork”, and in reply, Lennon said: “You are very kind.”
Lennon has previously clashed with the Trump firm through his involvement in a planned wind-farm at Doonbeg that was shot down by An Bord Pleanala in 2015 after opposition from Trump firm, TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ltd, Failte Ireland and locals.
Outside court, Lennon said that he initiated the proceedings concerning the €14,095 bill against Trump when he was a private citizen and before he was sworn in as President of the United States. He declined to comment any further.
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