Dermot Desmond’s defamation action against The Irish Times is before the courts, with the possibility that the case may be struck out, a court hears. The proceedings were brought by Desmond in July 2016 in relation to an article published by The Irish Times in April 2016 that referenced the so-called Panama Papers documents. Multiple outlets describe the dispute as centring on the newspaper’s reporting connected to those documents. Irish Independent reports the broader matter has been settled, indicating the case does not proceed to a full determination on the claims. BreakingNews.ie and The Irish Times both report the court is considering whether the action can be dismissed, following the filing of the proceedings several years ago. The reporting across sources aligns on the identity of the parties, the timing of the original newspaper article, and the fact that the claim relates to Panama Papers material. However, the sources provided do not detail the specific legal basis for any strike-out application or the terms of any settlement.