English High Court Order issued while person was resident in Ireland

A person was living in England for 40 years but was originally from Ireland. The were a builder (not a Company) in england and a deal went wrong. He ended up with a High Court Order issued against him for over a million.

He said that he returned home to Ireland 6 months before the Order issued and queried if the Order is valid if he was outside the jurisdiction when it issued.

My instinct is that it would be valid, as he would have been resident in England at the time the proceedings started and the fact that he moved 6 months before the end, doesnt have any effect. Otherwise, its a very big loop-hole for people to avoid liability for debts.

Anyone got any opinion on it?

Generally what is important in order for proceedings to be valid is that the person is validly served with the proceedings in advance of the court hearing. It doesnt matter if they actually attend court or are not present when an order is made. Usually a court will not proceed to give an order unless rules in relation to service are adhered to- so it is probable that he was served and that the order is valid. However in order to be absolutely certain he should consult with an english solicitor and give them the papers he received and full details.Residency is really not important.

Debts due under an English court judgement can be pursued in Ireland.

Debts due under an English court judgement can be pursued in Ireland.

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It is not an easy process and it is normally only used for very large debts.

In itself debt collection outside a state can be difficult for someone doing it for the first time. However there are many firms who specialise in debt collection and for them it is as easy as any other litigation process.