Naked Sleepwalker Wins $14 Million Libel Award

An Irish jury awarded the largest libel award in Ireland’s history of $14 million to Donal Kinsella, a former executive who claimed his career was ruined when his employers implied that he made inappropriate sexual advances to co-worker Deirdre Corcoran.

Donal, who slept in his birthday suit, had a history of sleepwalking. During a business trip to Mozambique in 2007, he appeared outside Deirdre’s room three times in one night, each time in the nude. Kenmare Resources later issued a press release, which Donal claims made him an international “laughing stock.”

Even the judge was shocked at the amount of the award, which is nearly ten times the amount of the previously highest libel award. Kenmare was ordered to pay $680,000 while it appeals the jury’s award.

See Deborah Hastings, Naked Sleepwalker Wins Record $14M Libel Award, AOL News, Nov. 19, 2010.

Special thanks to David S. Luber (Attorney at law, Florida Probate Attorney Wills and Estates Law Firm) for bringing this article to my attention.