A seriously ill woman being sued by wealthy broadcaster Stephen Nolan for defamation has described her legal ordeal as “unnecessary and unwanted”.
The Co Down woman, who is fighting a life-changing illness, has vowed to “vehemently defend” the court action after she was sued over two comments posted separately on Twitter, now known as X, in April 2021.
It is understood that her legal team has asked the BBC to hand over details of complaints made about the broadcaster covering several years.
Mr Nolan, who is one of the BBC’s highest paid presenters, received between £405,000 and £409,999 directly from the licence fee in 2023-24.
The payments covered his work with BBC Radio Ulster’s The Nolan Show, 5 Live and the Belfast-based Nolan Live TV programme, but does not include work carried out by his independent production company.
The BBC’s annual report in July this year ranked Mr Nolan as the BBC’s joint fifth highest paid presenter, behind top earner and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker.
The tweets at the centre of the legal action were posted by the woman after a period of civil disturbances across the north in 2021, including rioting, which received extensive coverage on The Nolan Show.
One comment referenced Mr Nolan’s “contribution to NI political voice” and included the hashtags #suemetoo #bbcni.
It is understood lawyers acting for Mr Nolan claim publication of the messages have damaged his reputation.
The Irish News understands the Co Down woman has refused to admit most of the claims made by Mr Nolan.
The woman’s legal team has also contacted the BBC to confirm how many complaints have been made to the corporation in respect of Mr Nolan over several years.
Her solicitor Darragh Mackin, of Phoenix Law, said the legal process has been ongoing for several years and is taking a toll on his client.
“At present, no trial date has yet been fixed.
“Our client describes being involved in such a long legal process as ‘unnecessary and unwanted’.”
The lawyer added that she “intends to vehemently defend her position”.
He said: “This case raises much wider issues, and to that end, her first step will be to seek the underlying materials regarding any complaints made against the plaintiff Mr Nolan regarding his show.”
Mr Mackin revealed that his client is “currently combating a very rare, and life-changing illness and is due to undergo a very significant scan in the coming week”.
“As such, given the timing, we respectfully ask that our client’s privacy is respected during this time and her identity is not published,” he added.
The woman is one of several members of the public and journalists sued by Mr Nolan in recent years.
In June he ended legal action against The Irish News and Fermanagh-journalist Rodney Edwards.
The case arose following reports published by the newspaper in August of last year.
In a joint statement both sides agreed “that press freedom is an essential element of any democratic society”.
In 2021, a person who used anonymous accounts to make alleged defamatory remarks about Mr Nolan apologised and agreed to pay a six-figure sum.
In a statement issued by the person’s lawyer, they admitted the claims made were “totally unsubstantiated and without foundation”.
Mr Nolan said: “This should be a warning to all trolls.”
At the time, Mr Nolan’s lawyer Paul Tweed said legal letters had also been issued to other people.
A spokesman for the BBC said it has “received correspondence in October 2024 and a substantive response has been provided”.
Mr Nolan was asked for a comment.
