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Frank Ward & Co, solicitors for Taoiseach and the Fianna Fail, have had comments removed from an Irish politics website after claiming them to be libellous to the firm.   

The offending posting on Politics.ie referred to the handling by Frank Ward & Co of their former client Grainne Carruth around the time she was giving submissions to the Mahon Tribunal. Carruth, who is Bertie Ahern’s former secretary, changed solicitors between different dealing she has had with the tribunal.

The Sunday Business Post recently quoted her as telling the
tribunal she did not know why she changed firms: “I don’t know…. I was upset and this was coming on a
daily basis to my door and I just wanted it out of my house, and my
husband found Mr Millar…. I don’t know why I didn’t go with Mr [Liam]
Guidera [of Frank Ward & Co]. I just wanted everything away from my
door.”

Politics.ie removed the comments made by one of its users at the
request of Liam Guidera. But David Cochrane, the owner of the website,
said he would not be revealing the names of the six users as requested
by Guidera, who wrote, "Such comments are entirely untrue and grossly defamatory of this firm and its Partners".

In a statement on the site, Cochrane noted: “On Thursday
night a new user to the website posted a thread making allegations
about a Tribunal witness and a firm of solicitors, those comments were
inaccurate, untrue and were malicious - I unreservedly apologise for
those comments being posted.

“Don’t Get Dave Sued"
He said the site tries to maintain free speech, and his moderation
policy is “Don’t Get Dave Sued, as in don’t say anything that would get
me into legal difficulty.”

He added: “Any time such comments are posted, they are always removed
when pointed out to us, either by users of the site, or by solicitors
acting on behalf of a client”.

Cochrane has so-far published two letters from Guidera, stating that
the first letter “was not sent as confidential”. A second letter was
also published, but included the note: “I am posting the following, on
the basis that this website is hosted in the United States of America,
and as such I am using the First Amendment which guarantees freedom of
speech.”

The First Amendment is currently quoted on Politics.ie’s homepage, but
Cochrane says “It’s not my intention to antagonise” explaining a ban he
has placed discussion about Ahern and the tribunal, which he says
“remains for the time being” even thought Guidera says he has not
requested such.