Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill will not receive any damages after a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor, John Carson, posted a comment on social media in April 2021, stating she would be "put back in her kennel."
Ms. O'Neill took Mr. Carson to court, arguing that the insult was defamatory and misogynistic.
She won her case in May, but a High Court judge recently ruled that the remark was not defamatory as it "had no adverse impact on Ms. O'Neill's reputation."
The judge stated that although Mr. Carson's comments were abusive and misogynistic, they did not meet the legal criteria for defamation. Mr. Carson now faces a legal bill in excess of £12,000, potentially costing him his savings and home.