Van Morrison and former Northern Ireland Minister of Health Robin Swann settle dueling slander suits
Van Morrison and former Northern Ireland Minister of Health Robin Swann have come to a settlement in the dueling lawsuits they had against each other, according to the BBC.
Both suits stemmed from the COVID-19 lockdowns. Swann sued Morrison for slander after comments the musician made at a June 2021 show in Belfast, where he called Swann “very dangerous.” The comments were in response to show cancellations due to pandemic lockdowns.
Morrison filed his own suit against Swan and the Department of Health over a September 2020 op-ed in Rolling Stone magazine that called out Morrison’s anti-lockdown songs, arguing their messages could be “actually dangerous.”
The High Court in Belfast announced Friday that both lawsuits had been settled, although terms of the settlement were not released. Both cases were due to go to trial at the end of September.
While neither Morrison nor Swann attended the hearing, a statement was read on behalf of both parties. Morrison acknowledged that although he didn’t agree with Swann, he “acted at all times honestly and in good faith and on the advice of responsible officials.”
Swann, who also didn’t agree with Morrison’s views, acknowledged the singer’s 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 Department of Health also acknowledged that a U.S. music magazine was not necessarily the most appropriate place to express their views about Morrison’s song lyrics.
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