Family accused of $200 dine-and-dash wins massive libel settlement: ‘Allegations were entirely false’

The bar for justice is high.

A well-off Irish family was awarded nearly $100,000 in damages after being falsely accused of skipping out on the bill at a bar in the UK.

“The allegations were entirely false,” Peter Girvan, the barrister representing the defendants, declared during a court hearing in Belfast on Friday, the Daily Mail reported.

The incident occurred in July 2024 after Peter and Ann McGirr, along with their children Peter Jr. and Carol were blasted over “shocking behavior” in a deleted Facebook Post by the management at The Horse and Jockey in Tideswell, Derbyshire.

The bosses had reportedly uploaded CCTV footage of the alleged “dine-and-dashers,” who they accused of leaving without paying their $200 tab, the BBC reported.

The Tyrone residents, who reportedly run a successful engineering firm, had reportedly ordered 10oz ribeye steaks with all the trimmings, two ham steaks and several glasses of ale and lager, per the Daily Mail.

These false allegations were subsequently circulated in at least four different newspaper reports, the court heard.

Outraged over the wrongful accusations, the family sued The Horse and Jockey for libel on the grounds that these claims caused severe embarrasment and reputational damage.

“These articles contained serious and defamatory accusations that the plaintiffs had engaged in dishonest and criminal conduct by deliberately absconding without settling a bill of approximately £150 (around $200),” Girvan declared. “The plaintiffs had not engaged in any such conduct, and the statements made by the defendants had no factual basis.”

As compensation for the defamatory claims, the bar was forced to pay approximately $99,500 and also foot the bill for the defendants’ legal expenses.

Horse and Jockey representatives also accepted that there was “no basis whatsoever” for the allegations and apologized to the defendants.

In a statement read on the family’s behalf outside court, the McGirrs’ solicitor said that they had been “vindicated” by the outcome and were “very satisfied with the settlement,” the Daily Mail reported.

Following the verdict, the couple’s daughter Carol McGirr expressed her relief on Facebook, stating, “’10 months later.. thank god it’s all over and our names are cleared.”