FORMER JUSTICE MINISTER Alan Shatter has lodged High Court proceedings against actor Liam Cunningham.

Plenary summons were issued by Shatter’s representatives against Cunningham yesterday, according to court filings. 

It is understood the suit relates to the perpetuation of false online claims that a meeting was scheduled between Shatter and the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Shatter has been the subject of misinformation since the US Department of Justice released a tranche of documents related to investigations into Epstein.

The itinerary of former US president Barack Obama’s attorney general Eric Holder, which included a meeting with Shatter in 2011, was shared in numerous posts with the misleading claim that it was Epstein’s travel schedule.  

The claim was debunked by The Journal FactCheck at the time.

Cunningham, who is from Dublin, is best known for his role in HBO hit series Game of Thrones. He also took part in a flotilla travelling to Gaza with aid.

The claim was previously shared by a number of figures, including Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, who issued a public apology and paid damages to Shatter for sharing an image of a document that falsely depicted a meeting scheduled between him and Jeffrey Epstein. The figure is unknown.

Shatter has also lodged proceedings against TD Paul Murphy for sharing a post linking him with Epstein.

Cunningham has been contacted by The Journal for comment.