Courts

Defamation cases between Van Morrison and former Stormont health minister Robin Swann settled

Confidential resolutions were reached in their competing and ‘potentially very costly’ lawsuits over the handling of Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland, a judge was told.

Confidential resolutions were reached in Van Morrison and Robin Swann's competing and 'potentially very costly' lawsuits over the handling of Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland, a judge was told. Photograph: Bryan Meade/The Irish Times
Confidential resolutions were reached in Van Morrison and Robin Swann's competing and 'potentially very costly' lawsuits over the handling of Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland, a judge was told. Photograph: Bryan Meade/The Irish Times
Alan Erwin
Fri Sept 06 2024 - 11:23

Singer Van Morrison’s long-running defamation case with former Stormont health minister Robin Swann has been settled, it was announced today.

Confidential resolutions were reached in their competing and “potentially very costly” lawsuits over the handling of Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland, a judge was told.

The outcome followed a successful mediation process ahead of planned jury trials listed for hearing later this month.

Both lawsuits related to conflicting views on how Mr Swann responded to the pandemic in his ministerial capacity.

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The politician, now MP for South Antrim, sued for slander after Van Morrison declared that he was “very dangerous” in front of an audience at Belfast’s Europa Hotel in June 2021. It came after the singer-songwriter’s gigs at the venue were cancelled due to a ban on live music imposed as part of coronavirus restrictions. He took to the stage and directed criticism at Mr Swann, with video footage of the incident subsequently going viral.

Similar assertions in a newspaper interview and a YouTube video formed part of those proceedings. In a separate action, Sir Van sued Mr Swann and the Department of Health over an earlier opinion piece published in Rolling Stone magazine. The article appeared in September 2020 after the performer announced plans to release anti-lockdown songs and donate proceeds to a hardship fund for musicians facing restrictions on live performance.

Under the headline ‘Northern Ireland’s Health Minister would like a word with Van Morrison’, the piece claimed some of the singer-songwriter’s messages at the time were dangerous.

Mr Swann expressed disappointment at someone he acknowledged as “one of the greatest music legends of the past 50 years”. The songs were described as a “smear” on those involved in the public health response to the pandemic.

With both actions due to get underway on September 30th, it was announced on Friday that all proceedings have now been settled on confidential terms.

It follows mediation overseen by retired senior judge Sir Donnell Deeney.

Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian Paisley and Van Morrison on stage at the Europa Hotel
Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian Paisley and Van Morrison on stage at the Europa Hotel

Neither Mr Morrison nor Mr Swann attended court for the announcement.

But an agreed statement read out by David Ringland KC, for the politician, confirmed: “Sir Van, while not agreeing with a number of the steps adopted by government during the Covid crisis, acknowledges that in performing his then role as Minister for Health in Northern Ireland, Mr Swann acted at all times honestly and in good faith and on the advice of responsible officials.

“Mr Swann, while not agreeing with Sir Van’s views on the handling of the pandemic, acknowledges that those views were sincere and expressed in the context of Sir Van being prevented by government regulations from performing in a role for which he is justly famous.”

The statement went on: “The Department of Health acknowledges, with hindsight, that any views they may have wished to express about Sir Van’s song lyrics might have been more appropriately expressed in the usual form of media interviews or statements provided to the Northern Ireland media, rather than providing copy to a US rock music magazine.

“The Department of Health welcomes these statements and is glad to have assisted in the public interest in the resolution of these potentially very costly proceedings.”

Mr Justice Colton praised all sides for reaching what he described as “a very fair outcome”.

He told the parties: “I want to compliment all counsel in this case for resolving this difficult matter between two very well-known public figures.

“I’m glad it has been resolved, it’s in the best interests of all.”