Cassidys granted extension at High Court to comply with discovery in landmark case

The Donegal company at the centre of the defective blocks scandal has told the High Court it will cost €100,000 for it to comply with discovery requirements.

A class action being taken of behalf of around 2,000 homeowners affected by defective concrete has been further stalled at the High Court.

A case on behalf of Defective Blocks Ireland CLG by Coleman Legal was heard at the Commercial High Court in Dublin on Monday.

Mr Justice Denis McDonald granted an application on behalf of Cassidy Brothers Concrete Products Ltd for an extension of time to comply with discovery. Two deadlines had already been missed in the matter, but Cassidy Brothers Concrete Products Ltd were given an eight-week extension by Mr Justice McDonald.

The company is required to hand over thousands of documents related to the case. The company’s solicitor, Mr Eamonn Dillon, has told the court of how Cassidy Brothers Concrete Products Ltd had encountered difficulty given the voluminous documentation required.

However the High Court has been told that the firm has accessed the required documentation, but must now upload the vast reams to a digital format.

The High Court has been told that Cassidy Brothers Concrete Products Ltd have been quoted €100,000 by a specialist company to carry out this process. This would, Mr Dillon said, take a lot of time and money.

The other defendants in the case are Donegal County Council and the National Standards Authority of Ireland.