TWO MORE DUBLIN pubs have launched separate legal actions against FBD Insurance. 

Hyper Trust Ltd, which trades as the Leopardstown Inn in Stillorgan and Aberken Ltd, which trades as Sinnotts in Stephen Street, Dublin 2 filed High Court proceedings against FBD Plc on Wednesday.

The filings come just a week after the company behind Lemon & Duke on Hibernian Way, Dublin 2, launched a separate High Court action against the insurer.

Sources close to that pub company — co-owned by Noel Anderson, incoming chairman of the Licenced Vintners Association and rugby players Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney and Sean O’Brien — told The Irish Times that the dispute relates to a business interruption policy taken out with FBD. The company is alleging that the insurer should have paid out on the policy as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Leopardstown Inn is part of the Loyola Group of pubs, which is co-owned by businessmen Stephen Cooney, former Leinster rugby player Eoin O’Malley and his brother, Brian O’Malley. Other pubs in the group include The Landmark in Dublin 2 and The Bath in Dublin 4.
TheJournal.ie understands that a similar dispute has arisen between the pub company and FBD about a business interruption insurance policy and the claim relates to all five pubs in the Loyola Group.

A spokesperson for the pub declined to provide a comment.

Both the Licensed Vintners Association and the Vintners Federation of Ireland have criticised the insurance industry in recent weeks for refusing to honour business interruption cover for pubs that were forced to close in March as a result of the pandemic.

A spokesperson for FBD Insurance said, “As these are matters which are subject to legal process, it is not appropriate for FBD to comment at this time.”