Limerick based firm agrees not to vote to remove executive from board

High Court Reporters

A senior executive who claimed the founder of a Limerick-based firm allegedly provided homes and jobs for girlfriends has been given a further High Court undertaking not to remove her as company secretary at an extraordinary general meeting.

Limerick-based enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management software group, HansaWorld, previously gave an undertaking not to take steps to dismiss its chief operations officer, Jennifer O'Carroll, pending further order, but she claimed the company was now seeking to remove her as secretary.

Ms O'Carroll, in her proceedings, made a number of claims about the manner in which the group's founder, CEO and majority shareholder, Karl Bohlin, has been running the business and what she considered was his "extravagant personal spending", allegedly using company funds.

She alleged he had been concerned mostly with his love life and described finding a girlfriend as his highest priority,

She claimed Mr Bohlin allegedly used the company human resources to allegedly "screen the girls from various illicit websites for suitability".

He had "insisted on hiring these ladies even if they are not suitable candidates" to positions in the company and allegedly insisted on using the firm's funds to lease houses for them, including one in China and another in Dubai, she said.

Her proceedings are against Limerick-based HansaWorld Ireland Ltd and associated entities, HansaWorld Holding Ltd and HansaWorld Inc Ltd.

At a previous hearing, the defendants undertook not to take any steps to terminate her employment.

She had also sought orders stopping them from trying to remove her as a director and company secretary.

On Tuesday, Mr Justice Brian Cregan was told an extraordinary general meeting was due to take place this Wednesday at which a vote would be taken to remove her from those roles, and she now wanted further orders preventing any vote being taken.

Gary McCarthy SC, for Ms O'Carroll, said following discussions with Michael O'Sullivan BL, for the defendants, a further undertaking not to remove her was agreed.

Counsel said the defendants continued to agree not to terminate her employment or give effect to her purported termination and not commence or continue disciplinary investigations against her until the case next comes back to court.

Mr O'Sullivan said the sides have been in discussions about the case.

The judge adjourned the case to later this month and gave directions for exchange of affidavits.