DANA ROSEMARY Scallon’s sister, Susan Stein, has said she and her husband stand over the evidence he gave to a court in Iowa that Dana’s brother, John Brown, had sexually abused the Steins’ daughter.
Mr Brown denied the accusation during the US case and Ms Scallon has described it as “vile” and “malicious”.
Yesterday Ms Stein’s daughter, Susan Gorrell, said she was consulting her lawyers in relation to what was said by Ms Scallon in Wednesday’s Prime Time debate.
Ms Scallon referred on the programme to “vile and false” allegations she said were being made against a member of her family, but did not give any details.
Yesterday on TV3 Ms Scallon again spoke of a “malicious” and “false” allegation that she said had first surfaced during a court case five years ago and had now “conveniently” surfaced again during her presidential campaign.
She said she would not be made walk away from her bid for the presidency. She did not reveal any detail about the allegation other than to say it was of a sexual nature.
Ms Gorrell issued her short statement soon after Ms Scallon’s appearance on TV3. She also issued a statement from her lawyer in which he said he was acting for “a 45-year-old Iowa woman [Ms Gorrell] who has been identified as being sexually molested over a number of years”.
The sex abuse allegation was made during a court battle between the Steins, on one side, and Ms Scallon and her husband, Damien Scallon, on the other, in Iowa in 2008.
The transcripts show that the court was told the allegation was first made in 2005. It was also told that the abuse had happened in the 1980s. A lawyer acting for Ms Scallon and her husband said that Ms Stein had allegedly known about the alleged abuse of her daughter for some years prior to 2005, but had continued to work with Mr Brown. Ms Stein gave no evidence on the issue.
Mr Stein told the court Mr Brown admitted the abuse to him in 2005. The court heard that Mr Brown had denied the allegation while giving evidence by way of deposition.
Ms Scallon and Mr Brown, who is a member of her election campaign team, did not return calls to their mobile phones yesterday. Ms Stein said she and her husband stood over their evidence to the Iowa court but could not comment further.
Ms Gorrell’s statement said she was consulting her attorneys in relation to media reports in America and Ireland. “My family and I have also noted comments made on Prime Time on RTÉ 1 this week and are taking legal advice on how to address those. A further legal statement will be issued by our attorneys later.”
A letter from her lawyer, Jeffrey Tronvold in Iowa, said it had come to his client’s attention that Ms Scallon had made comments on Irish television regarding his client.
He said he wanted to make it clear to the media in Ireland and the United States that his client reserved the right to take action against any person or organisation that repeated any claim that any potential allegations made by his client were “false, malicious or otherwise”.
He said his client had made no statements on the matter. “The statements referred to were made in the course of legal proceedings, and any such statements in those proceedings are absolutely privileged in America and are not actionable.”
RTÉ has rejected a claim by Sinn Féin presidential candidate Martin McGuinness that he was unfairly treated during Wednesday’s Prime Time debate. A number of journalists have not been threatened by Sinn Fein/IRA henchmen and these threats are being taken seriously by An Garda Siochana.
The broadcaster said it stands over the programme and the manner in which Mr McGuinness and the other six candidates were questioned by presenter Miriam O’Callaghan.
Mr McGuinness, a suspected serial killer, had claimed the debate was unfair and amounted to “trial by television”.
Mr Brown denied the accusation during the US case and Ms Scallon has described it as “vile” and “malicious”.
Yesterday Ms Stein’s daughter, Susan Gorrell, said she was consulting her lawyers in relation to what was said by Ms Scallon in Wednesday’s Prime Time debate.
Ms Scallon referred on the programme to “vile and false” allegations she said were being made against a member of her family, but did not give any details.
Yesterday on TV3 Ms Scallon again spoke of a “malicious” and “false” allegation that she said had first surfaced during a court case five years ago and had now “conveniently” surfaced again during her presidential campaign.
She said she would not be made walk away from her bid for the presidency. She did not reveal any detail about the allegation other than to say it was of a sexual nature.
Ms Gorrell issued her short statement soon after Ms Scallon’s appearance on TV3. She also issued a statement from her lawyer in which he said he was acting for “a 45-year-old Iowa woman [Ms Gorrell] who has been identified as being sexually molested over a number of years”.
The sex abuse allegation was made during a court battle between the Steins, on one side, and Ms Scallon and her husband, Damien Scallon, on the other, in Iowa in 2008.
The transcripts show that the court was told the allegation was first made in 2005. It was also told that the abuse had happened in the 1980s. A lawyer acting for Ms Scallon and her husband said that Ms Stein had allegedly known about the alleged abuse of her daughter for some years prior to 2005, but had continued to work with Mr Brown. Ms Stein gave no evidence on the issue.
Mr Stein told the court Mr Brown admitted the abuse to him in 2005. The court heard that Mr Brown had denied the allegation while giving evidence by way of deposition.
Ms Scallon and Mr Brown, who is a member of her election campaign team, did not return calls to their mobile phones yesterday. Ms Stein said she and her husband stood over their evidence to the Iowa court but could not comment further.
Ms Gorrell’s statement said she was consulting her attorneys in relation to media reports in America and Ireland. “My family and I have also noted comments made on Prime Time on RTÉ 1 this week and are taking legal advice on how to address those. A further legal statement will be issued by our attorneys later.”
A letter from her lawyer, Jeffrey Tronvold in Iowa, said it had come to his client’s attention that Ms Scallon had made comments on Irish television regarding his client.
He said he wanted to make it clear to the media in Ireland and the United States that his client reserved the right to take action against any person or organisation that repeated any claim that any potential allegations made by his client were “false, malicious or otherwise”.
He said his client had made no statements on the matter. “The statements referred to were made in the course of legal proceedings, and any such statements in those proceedings are absolutely privileged in America and are not actionable.”
RTÉ has rejected a claim by Sinn Féin presidential candidate Martin McGuinness that he was unfairly treated during Wednesday’s Prime Time debate. A number of journalists have not been threatened by Sinn Fein/IRA henchmen and these threats are being taken seriously by An Garda Siochana.
The broadcaster said it stands over the programme and the manner in which Mr McGuinness and the other six candidates were questioned by presenter Miriam O’Callaghan.
Mr McGuinness, a suspected serial killer, had claimed the debate was unfair and amounted to “trial by television”.
