The owner of the Red Cow Hotel has hit out at Ireland's "compo culture" after a Dublin Man failed in his High Court bid against his premises.

Gerry Pringle, a taxi driver from Carriglea Rise in Firhouse, tried to sue renowned businessman Tom Moran for thousands of euros.

Mr. Pringle lodged the claim after he fractured his leg during a night out in the hotel to celebrate his wife's 50^th birthday on July 12, 2001.

But the two-day case was thrown out after Judge Brian McGovern heard that the plaintiff had been dancing without his shoes and socks when he fell on the dance floor.

INJURIES

The Firhouse man also admitted during the personal injuries case that he had successfully sued for damages on five previous occasions.

Mr. Moran has now confirmed that he is pursuing legal costs against Mr. Pringle for the High Court hearing - which could cost the Dublin man anything up to €35,000.

Tom Moran said he was delighted that he had fought the claim and said he "saw red" when he learned how Mr. Pringle had previously succeeded in five separate claims.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard that.  We were not negligent - he fell through his own fault and I was over the moon that they dismissed the case.

"Justice is justice but you don't always get it," he said.

On the night in question, Mr. Pringle fell over while dancing at this wife's birthday celebrations at approximately 12.30am.

Immediately afterwards, he told a member of security that he had been "acting the eejit", his shoes and socks were off at the time of the accident and he fell back on his leg.

He was taken to hospital where he received treatment for a fractured leg.  A few months later, he lodged the claim for damages against the Red Cow Hotel.

But Mr. Moran's case was further boosted after a previous hotel manager, Joe Sherman, bumped into Mr. Pringle during a holiday to Majorca a short time later.

Mr. Sherman gave evidence how he quizzed Mr. Pringle on how he came to break his leg after seeing him on crutches two months after the accident.  He said that the taximan told him that it happened at the Red Cow Hotel but that he "would get a few holidays" out of it at least.

Mr. Sherman subsequently contracted Mr. Moran to inform him that the man planned to take a claim against him.

When the Evening Herald approached Mr. Pringle for comment on the action he had taken, and his subsequent losing of the case, the taxi driver said he did not want to comment.  He said that he would "prefer to let sleeping dogs lie".

CULTURE

Although bar owner Tom Moran is delighted with the result, he is heavily critical of the country's burgeoning compensation culture and believes that some claims should be nipped in the bud at an earlier date.

The Limerick-born businessman and father of seven made property history after paying a record one million pounds for a pub in 1988, when he bought the Red Cow Inn.

He opened the adjacent four-star hotel in 1996 and acquired the Silver Springs Moran Hotel from Fitzpatrick Hotels in 1999 and the Crown Moran Hotel opened in London four years ago.