Private lab firm pays out €26.86m in one year arising from CervicalCheck scandal

Gordon Deegan

A private lab firm facing multiple legal proceedings arising from the CervicalCheck programme scandal paid out €26.86 million in settlements and legal costs in 2023 connected to legal cases from the scandal.

That is according to new accounts filed by the Dublin-based Medlab Pathology Ltd, which has been sued in the High Court by a number of women concerning alleged failings in the firm’s participation in the HSE’s CervicalCheck programme from 2011 to 2019.

In new accounts signed off by directors of Medlab Pathology on October 23rd, 2025, they disclose that the company paid out €26.86 million in gross payments in the 12 months to the end of June 2023 arising from several High Court actions.

The accounts disclose that the firm received medical malpractice insurance of €22.87 million towards the pay-outs, resulting in Medlab Pathology making a net payout of €3.98 million last year.

Arising from Medlab Pathology’s €26.86 million gross payout in 2023, the firm has a remaining gross €17.75 million provision at the end of June 2023 to deal with outstanding CervicalCheck cases before the court.

The company’s net legal provision at the end of June 2023 totalled €11.1 million after a gross insurance provision of €6.62 million is taken into account.

At the outset of the cases coming before the High Court, the company set aside a gross provision of €49.6 million to deal with the cost of damages and legal costs from the CervicalCheck cases.

The new 2023 accounts state that the outstanding gross provision of €17.75 million at the end of June 2023 includes an estimate for future claims, based on data access requests received.

The note states that “in relation to the small number of claims for which the insurers have not yet confirmed indemnity, we used our best judgment of the liability, based on the most reliable information available”.

The accounts show that on June 2nd 2023, the company received a capital injection of €3.5 million from the immediate parent firm, Sonic Healthcare (Ireland) Ltd.

Sonic Healthcare is headquartered in Australia.

The directors for Medlab Pathology state that the company no longer trades and the main business of the company is to manage the liabilities arising from litigation, in respect of claims related to the cervical cancer screening programme in Ireland.

Medlab Pathology Ltd recorded a loss of €2.64 million in 2023 arising from dealing with the legal cases, and at the end of June 2023, the firm had accumulated losses of €28.9 million.

Addressing the company’s going concern status, where it has an equity deficit of €9.1 million, a note attached to the accounts states that the company’s sole liabilities relate to legal claims arising in respect of the cervical cancer screening programme in Ireland.

They state that insurance is in place in respect of these liabilities, and the net liability for the company is largely the insurance deductible.

The note adds that “these cases are inherently complex, and the determination of the outcome requires significant judgment, with the final resolution likely to be beyond the going concern outlook”.

The note states that “several cases have been settled after the balance sheet date, with others discontinued and the remainder active”.