Two defamation suits involving singer Sir Van Morrison and Northern Ireland politician Robin Swann have been settled, it was announced today, Friday, September 6.
The confidential settlement comes after a mediation period. The suits were set to go to a trial jury on September 30 at the High Court in Belfast.
In November 2021, South Antrim UUP MP Swann, who was Northern Ireland’s Minister for Health from January 2020 to October 2022 and again from February through May of this year, sued Morrison for slander after the singer called him “very dangerous” while on stage during a gig at Belfast’s Europa Hotel in June 2021.
Morrison, already a critic of COVID restrictions, made the comments on stage after his four scheduled gigs at the Europa Hotel were canceled at the last moment due to COVID restrictions, the PA previously reported. Management blamed the confusion on Stormont. The event went ahead as a dinner before a video of a previous gig by the Belfast singer-songwriter was played.
A clip of the incident - which showed DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr joining Morrison on stage - went viral. Paisley reportedly later apologized to Swann.
This is Extra ordinary . pic.twitter.com/M0jmA0JIf2
— Stephen Nolan (@StephenNolan) June 11, 2021
Swann's proceedings also referenced comments Morrison gave to The Belfast Telegraph's Sunday Life in June 2021 after the incident at the Europa Hotel, as well as a YouTube video uploaded by Morrison where the singer reiterated his opinion that Swann is "dangerous."
Separately, in May 2022, Morrison sued Swann and Northern Ireland’s Department of Health over a September 2020 opinion piece published in Rolling Stone magazine.
The piece was in response to Morrison's anti-lockdown songs, the proceeds of which were to benefit a hardship fund for musicians during the pandemic. Swann had elsewhere described the songs as "dangerous."
Swann told Rolling Stone: "His words will give great comfort to the conspiracy theorists - the tin foil hat brigade who crusade against masks and vaccines."
He further said Morrison's songs were a "smear" on those involved in the public health response to the pandemic.
Earlier this year, Justice Adrian Colton accepted an application from Swann that the two cases be heard together by a single jury.
Neither Morrison nor Swann were in court on Friday when it was announced the matters had been settled. However, an agreed statement was read out by David Ringland KC, who was representing Swann.
“Sir Van, while not agreeing with a number of the steps adopted by government during the Covid crisis, acknowledges that in performing his then role as Minister for Health in Northern Ireland, Mr. Swann acted at all times honestly and in good faith and on the advice of responsible officials," the statement said, according to The Belfast Telegraph.
“Mr. Swann, while not agreeing with Sir Van’s views on the handling of the pandemic, acknowledges that those views were sincere and expressed in the context of Sir Van being prevented by government regulations from performing in a role for which he is justly famous.”
The statement went on: “The Department of Health acknowledges, with hindsight, that any views they may have wished to express about Sir Van’s song lyrics might have been more appropriately expressed in the usual form of media interviews or statements provided to the Northern Ireland media, rather than providing copy to a US rock music magazine.
“The Department of Health welcomes these statements and is glad to have assisted in the public interest in the resolution of these potentially very costly proceedings.”
Justice Colton said the parties had reached a "very fair outcome."
“I want to compliment all counsel in this case for resolving this difficult matter between two very well-known public figures," he said.
“I’m glad it has been resolved, it’s in the best interests of all.”
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