Brendan O'Connor sues Mediahuis over data breach

RTÉ broadcaster Brendan O’Connor has filed a High Court action against Mediahuis Ireland Group, formerly known as Independent News and Media (INM), over an alleged data breach.

It is understood that Mr O’Connor, who writes a column for the Sunday Independent, is suing the publishing company after his emails were allegedly illegally accessed in a data breach.

The proceedings against Mediahuis Ireland and former INM chair Leslie Buckley, were filed by solicitor Simon McAleese on Friday.

According to The Irish Times, Mr O'Connor is the latest person to sue the company over an alleged data breach in 2014, with other high-profile names understood to have already settled or almost settled with the company.

They include INM’s former chief executive, Vincent Crowley, and Sam Smyth, a former star columnist at the Irish Independent, who is believed to have settled for a large six-figure sum.

Mediahuis is understood to have set aside about €10 million to settle the litany of data cases.

The breach is alleged to have involved emails and other material being searched by third parties for mentions of “persons of interest”. The breach was found to be illegal by the Data Protection Commission.