This article is from page 4 of the 2011-12-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
SEEKING justice for her husband’s life’s work was behind the successful High Court action taken by Ballyvaughan woman Grace Daveron that saw her awarded almost € 1.6m last Wednesday.
Mr Justice Iarf hlaith Ó Neill awarded Ms Daveron € 1,591,957.70 in damages because of the loss of an expected inheritance of a 623-acre farm.
The Daverons also ran a 269-acre farm in Ballycahill, adjoining the Ballyalben farm.
The mother-of-four from The Barn, Ballyalben, Ballyvaughan claimed she lost out on the inheritance of her husband Michael’s family farm.
She had sued the HSE following the death of her husband Michael on August 31, 2003, at University College Hospital, Galway. The 47-year-old died as a result of negligence in his treatment for colitis at the hospital in 2003.
Ms Daveron successfully claimed in the High Court that because of her husband’s death at University College Hospital Galway, she and her children missed out on the inheritance of Michael Davoren family’s 623-acre farm in the Burren.
Mr Justice Ó Neill rejected an argument by the defendants that it was probably the falling out between Grace Davoren and her mother-inlaw that had caused them to lose out on the inheritance of the estate.
He said that even if the falling out was the cause of Maura Davoren changing her will, this was directly due a change in her state of mind caused by her son’s wrongful death.
He added that he was satisfied Michael Davoren’s dependents would have inherited the estate of Maura Davoren if it wasn’t for his wrongful death.
After the verdict, Ms Davoren said “the point of taking this case was to obtain justice for my husband Michael and recognition of his life’s work and also to provide for his four children as he would have wished”.