Michael Flatley embroiled in another legal row with his former solicitor

Ann O'Loughlin

Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley is embroiled in another legal row with his former solicitor, this time over monies lodged in court in the wake of the battle for his Cork mansion, Castleyhyde.

At issue is monies lodged in the High Court, €200,000 of which the solicitor says he is entitled to out of a much bigger over €1.4 million pot taken into court.

And in court documents, solicitor Maxwell Mooney claimed the entertainer was allegedly trying to “grab” monies lodged in court.

Mooney is already involved in another legal battle with Michael Flatley, who is seeking to compel Maxwell Mooney and Company solicitors, Maynooth, Co Kildare, to hand over files relating to proceedings about and linked to the Flatley Castelhyde mansion in Fermoy, Co Cork.

In that case, where there are allegations on both sides about legal fees and an alleged hold on files, has gone to mediation.

The latest row relates to €1.4 million lodged in court by Flatley until a disputed costs bill relating to the Castelhyde proceedings was resolved.

This relates to legal and receiver's costs and disputed penalty interest. An agreement was reached of all costs and, eventually, in relation to the disputed penalty interest at €108,000 instead of the €308,000 initially sought.

Mooney, in an affidavit before the court, stated that he has no confidence in Flatley’s ability or willingness to pay his firm’s legal fees.

Mooney said he had negotiated the reduction of the penalty interest claim and preserved €200,000 from the €308,000 lodged in court in respect of the penalty interest dispute which was contained within the €1.4 million lodged in court.

Counsel for the Mooney side, Ronnie Hudson, said  Mooney, who was on record for Blackbird until April this year has outlined in an affidavit how his firm experienced hardship arising from the alleged non-payment of fees by the Flatley side.

In that affidavit Mooney said his firm had worked for a number of years on proceedings in which Flatley is involved and claimed  Flatley is allegedly indebted to his firm for three-years work carried out on his behalf.

At the High Court on Tuesday, Justice Mark Sanfey who gave permission to the solicitor’s side to make an application that the €200,00 be paid over to him commented that he had “some despair” over how the proceedings relating to the Flatley case have “gone on and on” and taken up so much court time.

The judge said he did not think that an application re the €200,000 was a frivolous or vexatious application.

The judge approved the payout of rest of the monies lodged in court which were in relation to fees to the Novellus side except for the disputed €200,000.

The original legal battle related to a loan made to Flatley's Blackbird Film Productions Ltd by Novellus Finance Ltd with registered offices at St Stephen’s Green,

Dublin in 2023 with repayments of €67.000 per month over two years. Novellus claimed there had been default on repayment, which Flatley denied

Flatley provided a guarantee for the loan on the strength of the value of his Castlehyde mansion.

As a result of the alleged default, Novellus appointed a receiver over the property. An interim injunction was granted to the Flatley side to prevent the receiver from taking further measures in relation to Castlehyde.

€6.9 million was finally paid over and €1.45 million lodged in court which included €308,000 in penalty interest.

Blackbird redeemed its loan from Novellus in March 2025 and Blackbird and Flatley withdrew their claims against Novellus.

The Mooney application will come back before the court later this week.