Houlihan Solicitors have represented the interests of Ms Patricia Sweeney, a 40 years old woman who slipped and fell on a wet dancefloor while attending a wedding at the Charleville Park Hotel on the 2nd of May 2015. Ms Sweeney was caused to fall on a wet floor and hassuffered a fracture of her ankle. She was brought to A&E Department in Limerick for treatment.

The operators of Charleville Park Hotel have denied this claim and argued that there was no sign of the floor being wet. Liability was contested.

The case was at hearing at the Limerick High Court on the 18th of April 2023 before Mr Justice O’Connor who later delivered his Judgment finding that he was satisfied that the floor was wet and awarded our client €91,000 in compensation.

The hotel appealed this decision arguing it was disproportionate and excessive and was at the higher end of the compensation scale. Our client strongly disagreed and opposed the appeal but also cross-appealed claiming that the award of damages should have been
higher.

The matter was transferred to the Court of Appeal and the Court of Appeal has upheld the decision of the High Court. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan on behalf of the three judge Court did say that the award was somewhat above what this court might be inclined to give but that the Defendant had not established that the disparity was such to amount to an error of law and therefore he has dismissed the Defendant’s appeal.

Our client has won the Appeal and her award of damages remains unchanged from the decision of the High Court.

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