Two days of detailed testing of one of Cassidy’s quarries is to begin today.
The move comes on the back of a High Court order in September by Mr Justice Denis McDonald at a hearing of the Commercial Court.
The direction was part of legal class action being taken by Coleman Legal over the defective concrete blocks scandal.
This is the first time the quarry will be tested as part of the case. The testing of the quarry material involves technical experts from Donegal County Council, National Standards Authority of Ireland, Coleman Legal and Cassidys.
At the September High Court Hearing, the judge also made an order for costs against Cassidy Brothers Concrete Products Limited and Cassidy Brothers Topmix Limited in respect of their ‘significant failure’ to comply with directions and delays in court time, especially given their previous history.
Experts previously gained permission to take and test samples from the quarry at the heart of the crisis.The inspection forms part of several lead cases in the High Court seeking compensation outside of the defective concrete blocks redress scheme. The action is spearheaded by Coleman Legal, who have thousands of additional cases included in a multi-party action, which will be determined by the ongoing lead cases.
Coleman Legal say there have been negotiations for many months in relation to access and the method that will be used to sample and test the rock in Cassidy’s quarry itself.
The sampling of the stone in a comprehensive way is a complex process and requires a lot of geological, technical and logistical input.
Coleman Legal are also in the process of agreeing on tests to be carried out on each of the lead plaintiffs’ homes, which were due to begin this month, starting with one of the lead cases.
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