Stephen Kenny taking High Court action over Mica home

Ireland football manager Stephen Kenny has joined a mass legal action seeking compensation for his Mica-affected home in Inishowen.

Kenny, who owns a house in Fahan, just recently discovered the property was built with defective blocks.

Times Ireland reports that Kenny and his wife, Siobhán, are suing concrete supplier Cassidy Brothers, Donegal County Council and the National Standards Authority of Ireland. The couple has joined the almost 1,000 High Court cases seeking compensation outside of the MICA redress scheme.

It is reported that the Kennys are not entitled to redress for the Donegal home as it is not their primary residence. The family lived for a number of years in Fahan while Stephen was managing Derry City and Dundalk. The house was bought in 2005.

Kenny has publicly supported Mica homeowners during the escalated campaign for a new redress scheme. Last June, he shared a video highlighting the stress faced by families.

When his own home tested positive for Mica, Kenny then became one of the hundreds of homeowners who rushed to lodge legal action before the government’s revised Defective Blocks scheme was signed into law on Saturday.

Up to 2,000 cases could be brought before the High Court as part of a multi-party court action taken by Dublin firm Coleman Legal. The writs are seeking compensation between the amount paid out by Government and the shortfall homeowners may find themselves needing to rebuild their homes.  The value of claims could run to an estimated €550m.

Those funding the legal bid, local businessmen Shaun Hegarty and Adrian Sheridan, have said they may be forced to cap the overall number of individual cases to 2,000 applicants.

Those who sign up for the legal scheme have been assured they can withdraw from the scheme at any time and also that their over costs will be between €750 and €1,500.

Dave Coleman said he expected the action to be the biggest of its kind in the history of the State.