Mediation process brings 'fair outcome' in Van Morrison and Robin Swann legal battle

Sir Van Morrison’s long-running defamation battle with former Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann has been settled, the High Court heard 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.The politician, now MP for South Antrim, sued for slander after Sir Van 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.With both actions due to get underway on September 30, 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.Neither Sir Van 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.”

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