Sacked Ammi Burke facing legal bill of over €250,000 following failed appeals

Sacked solicitor Ammi Burke is facing a legal bill that could amount to over €250,000 after the Court of Appeal upheld a decision by the High Court to throw out her judicial review in light of her “utterly appalling” behaviour.

Yesterday, Ms Burke from Castlebar, Co Mayo was ordered to pay the legal costs incurred in the Court of Appeal by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and her former employer Arthur Cox. Those costs could exceed €250,000, according to a top solicitor, who noted that Ms Burke had bypassed a “cost-neutral” option by appealing straight to the High Court instead of taking the matter to the Labour Court.

“Under the statutory framework, an appeal of a decision by the Workplace Relations Commission is brought to the Labour Court, which is cost-neutral, meaning that all parties look after their own costs,” said Jason O’Sullivan, who was named Lawyer of the Year in 2023.

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“Ms Burke, by taking a judicial review to the High Court instead and bypassing the appeal option of the Labour Court, automatically raised the stakes and placed herself at high risk of defendant costs, which was repeated by choosing to later appeal the High Court decision to the Court of Appeal.”

The former solicitor, whose family made headlines after confronting Taoiseach Simon Harris in Mayo last weekend, is now facing “very significant legal costs”, according to Mr O’Sullivan.

“Legal costs will be made up of solicitors’ professional fees, junior counsel and senior counsel professional fees for each defendant, all of which are subject to VAT at 23% along with stamp duty outlays.

“Overall, her legal bill could range anywhere in the region of €150,000 to €250,000 or well beyond those figures… if agreement is not reached between the parties,” he said.

Ms Burke had sought to overturn the WRC’s decision to reject her complaint of unfair dismissal from Arthur Cox in 2019, which was denied by the law firm. An adjudication officer stopped the hearing amid “sustained and deliberate obstruction and disruptions” by Ms Burke’s mother.

The Court of Appeal based its recent decision on written submissions after also cutting short its oral hearing due to interruptions by Ammi Burke. It dismissed the appeal, finding the High Court had been justified in throwing out her judicial review when faced by Ms Burke’s “utterly appalling and egregious behaviour”.

Mr O’Sullivan told the Irish Mirror that Ms Burke’s “disruptive behaviour” could have had a “major bearing” on the determination of costs, as judges will consider all factors when making such an order.

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