The High Court in Belfast was told yesterday that an agreement had been reached between Michael Flatley and former tour operator Switzer Consulting, under which both sides promised to ensure the show was a success.
Both sides had spent the day locked in more 11th-hour talks outside the courtroom. Switzer had said it was determined to overturn an injunction won by Mr. Flatley on Tuesday to prevent its cancellation of tonight’s 30th anniversary show at the 3Arena.
Mr. Flatley’s legal team had told the court that around 7,000 people have booked to see the show.
The court had heard earlier on Tuesday morning that the dancer had moved to sack Switzer, the company that has been running the tour for him, and which had last month tried and failed to bar him from interfering.
Switzer had then issued a press release, announcing that the show was cancelled.
Shortly before 4 pm on Wednesday, David Dunlop, Mr. Flatley’s barrister, told the court that an agreement had been reached under which Tuesday’s injunction could be discharged.
Under the terms, he said, Switzer undertook not to interfere with or obstruct the Dublin show, and not to issue any communications or press releases about it.
Switzer also agreed not to try to prevent Mr. Flatley from making use of the intellectual property rights to Lord Of The Dance.
The Northern Ireland-based company said it would make available to Mr. Flatley the new stage, set, and costumes for the show, to ensure that it could proceed successfully.
In return, Mr. Flatley undertook not to destroy, alter, delete, tamper with, or otherwise damage or lose any of the stage, set and costumes, and to hand them back by midday tomorrow.
Mr. Dunlop said both sides mutually promised to act in good faith to ensure the show was a success, and not to issue any press release for four weeks concerning the rights to Lord Of The Dance. They said that Aiken Promotions could officially announce that the show would go on.
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In addition, Mr. Flatley agreed to indemnify Switzer for any outstanding production costs.
In a sworn statement filed at the court yesterday, Bruce MacInnes, a director of Switzer, said he had not been involved in the company’s first injunction application last month. He said it was ‘most unfortunate’ that neither side had then told the court about a deed he said had been signed in August 2025, transferring the intellectual property rights from Mr. Flatley to Switzer. He said this had been done by Mr. Flatley, in return for a €2 million loan from Mr. MacInnes to Switzer.
He said the injunction won by Mr. Flatley on Tuesday prevented Switzer from making use of these intellectual property rights, and from preventing Mr. Flatley from running the show in Dublin.
"The reality is that the defendant [Flatley] does not own, nor is he entitled to make use of, the intellectual property of the show," he stated. "In addition, he is not a party to the staging of the show, and therefore respectfully does not require and nor is he entitled to any injunctive relief."
Mr. MacInnes said that after Mr. Flatley had overturned Switzer’s injunction last week, the dancer had immediately vowed to "continue to interfere with" the Dublin show.
He said Switzer’s solicitor had written to Mr. Flatley’s solicitor on Monday, stating its claim over the rights to the show, and also asking the dancer not to interfere with certain ‘assets’ which Mr. MacInnes said a company he owned, Abaka (Guernsey) Ltd, had loaned to Switzer for the Dublin show.
Mr. MacInnes went on to deny that the press release issued by Switzer on Tuesday, in which it said it was calling off the Dublin show, was damaging to Mr. Flatley. "The defendant does not own the show," he said. "Contrary, the plaintiff [Switzer] would suffer serious financial loss if the show proceeded without the undertakings and guarantees requested."
Mr. MacInnes said he had spoken to and emailed Peter Aiken, of Aiken Productions, on Tuesday morning, in a bid to agree a proposed payment arrangement to avoid the 3Arena show having to be cancelled.
He said he did not receive a response to the email, and after talking to Mr. Aiken a second time, he emailed at 12:09 pm, terminating the contract and cancelling the show.
He said this termination of the contract and cancellation were of "no concern" to Mr. Flatley.
Mr. MacInnes accused Mr. Flatley of misleading the court in his injunction application, and not admitting the alleged transfer of the intellectual property rights, "in order to paint a picture somewhat different from reality." His claims will be contested by Mr. Flatley at a full trial in April.
In that underlying case, Switzer is seeking damages from Mr. Flatley for an alleged breach of contract, negligence, misrepresentation, and interference with its economic interests. Mr. Flatley has countered that Switzer has failed to provide the services it is contracted to do.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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