Successful outcome and five figure settlement for mother who sued the HSE

A woman who launched a defamation and privacy case against the Health Services Executive has settled for €40,000 today.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, launched legal proceedings after she claimed she was defamed on social media by her child’s foster parents.

The mother, whose child was placed in foster care over three years ago, asserted that her child’s carers had published private details regarding both herself and her son on Facebook.

During the hearing at the High Court today, Mr. Justice Kevin Cross heard that posts published on the popular social media site were defamatory in nature and contained false information, which the mother claimed breached her and her child’s constitutional rights.

Suing the HSE on the grounds that the foster parents in question had not received adequate training with regards to social media and privacy entitlements, the woman and her child were ultimately successful and accepted a settlement of €40,000.

The woman and her son now live together outside the jurisdiction.