High Court Refuses To Extend Limitation Period In Defamation Action

In Ireland, a plaintiff typically has a timeframe of one year following the date of publication of the defamatory statement to institute defamatory proceedings in accordance with section 11(2)(c) of the Statute of Limitations 1957.

This limitation period is extendable by order of the court for a maximum of two years. In deciding whether to grant an extension, the court will have regard to the matters in Section 11(3A), including a balancing of the prejudice to the plaintiff and defendant if an extension is granted. We previously considered the Irish Court of Appeal's approach to the extension of time in the context of online defamation in this article.

In Logan v Wilson & Anor [2025] IEHC 284, the plaintiff instituted proceedings in August 2023 claiming damages for defamation arising out of multiple publications: (i) two emails and a telephone call in August 2021 and (ii) an email in July 2023. The complaint regarding the July 2023 publication was issued