The High Court has ordered a Co Carlow couple who unjustly enriched themselves with monies loaned to them by an English businesswoman to pay her over €800,000 in damages.
In a ruling on Thursday, Mr Justice Liam Kennedy said he was satisfied with making various orders in favour of Caroline Teltsch against James Buckley and his wife Paula.
The judge described the case as being "a very unfortunate saga" for Ms Teltsch.
Ms Teltsch, who is the owner of the Emerald Equestrian Centre in Enfield, Co Kildare, which was formerly known as Jessbrook and had been run by the family convicted gangster John Gilligan. She claimed she advanced a large amount of loans to Mr Buckley, a former business partner, and his wife.
She said the money was loaned for a variety of reasons, including to refurbish and run the equestrian centre between 2010 and 2018.
However, she "never received a penny back" from the couple.
The court heard that she was very ill between 2015 and 2018.
London-based Ms Teltsch claimed the defendants, and in particular Mr Buckley, unjustly enriched themselves after committing acts of fraud, deceit, misrepresentation against her.
She also claimed the defendants engaged in a protracted campaign of confidence trickery, emotional manipulation and financial exploitation against her during the relevant period.
She claimed Mr Buckley convinced her to advance him loans to pay tax bills, including a payment to Revenue that Mr Buckley had claimed were about to repossess the equestrian centre.
Other loans, she claims were advanced to pay for a Jaguar XKR car and a Mitsubishi Evo sports car Mr Buckley allegedly used for rallying, revenue bills, medical expenses, electricity bills, the costs of legal proceedings Mr Buckley were involved in, a deposit on a house, and on flights to New York for their wedding.
The court also made declarations including that certain folios of land in Co Kildare near the centre are held in trust by Mr Buckley for the plaintiff, and that she is entitled to registered as an owner of a Stallion called Louis, which she owns 50%.
Mr Buckley owns the remaining 50% of the horse.
The judge said he was satisfied to grant judgement against the couple in favour of the plaintiff in sums totalling over €800,000.
Mr Justice Kennedy noted that the claim was not contested by the defendants, with an address at Hillview Stables, Ballymoon, Bagenalstown, Co Carlow.
They had denied the claims, but due to their failure to comply with a court order to disclose certain materials and documents to the plaintiff, Ms Teltsch's lawyers successfully had the Buckleys' defence struck out.
The Buckleys were not present in court for the hearing, nor were any representations made on their behalf.
Ms Teltsch, represented by barrister Anthony McBride SC, Francis McGagh Bl and solicitor Donnacha Anhold claimed she first dealt with the defendants in 2010 over the purchase of a horse.
She alleges the defendants befriended her, convinced her to invest in a broader set of ventures than originally planned, before exploiting her desire to breed and train horses.
She initially advanced loans to help the defendants refurbish stables in Co Carlow, and to buy shares in horses.
Over the year she said Mr Buckley had come to her on many occasions looking for money from her, which she said he always knew were loans which were to be repaid and were not "gifts".
The court also heard that for a time between 2015 and 2018 Ms Teltsch was ill and required medical attention.
In 2013 Ms Teltsch says she was persuaded to by Mr Buckley to buy Jessbrook from the Criminal Assets Bureau for a sum just under €450,000.
The centre was the subject of lengthy legal proceedings involving CAB and John Gilligan's family.
She said provided funds for facility, which she is now the registered owner, which needed extensive refurbishment.
It had been operated by Mr Buckley for a period, and was to be self-financing.
She claimed that Mr Buckley sought, and was advanced monies, after he told her that revenue officials were coming to the Emerald centre to take equipment.
Mr Buckley also convinced her, that due to the centre's past owner, she should not be registered as the owner, and the property was registered in the name of a trust.
She claims that Mr Buckley told her that would be "dangerous" for her to be the registered owner, due to the facilities past connection with John Gilligan.
She also claimed that following a request in 2017 Ms Teltsch said she advanced funds to the account of Mrs Buckley, a teacher.
She claims the business arrangement with Mr Buckley broke down in 2018.
She said that she "smelled a rat" when she discovered that money she loaned to Mr Buckley, who said he needed cash to help his brother, was never paid to the defendant's brother.
She accepted that she entered into an agreement with Mr Buckley in 2018 which resulted in the centre being transferred back to her for partial consideration of the overall debt he allegedly owes her to the value of €1 million.
She told the court that she entered into the agreement because she wanted to retain what she believed was her property and to get something out of the monies she invested in the centre.
By High Court Reporters
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