€1,600-an-hour lawyer drafted in to battle Sean Dunne appeal in US Supreme Court

Legal costs of the Irish businessman’s bankruptcy case already stand at €12m

Sean Dunne and his ex-wife Gayle Killilea have challenged a US jury finding that he fraudulently transferred millions of euro in assets to her

Shane Phelan

The bankruptcy trustee of Celtic Tiger-era property developer Sean Dunne has drafted in a new legal team, including a €1,660-an-hour lawyer, to fight against the businessman’s United States Supreme Court appeal.

The development is set to further ratchet up the eye-watering legal costs of the protracted bankruptcy, which already stand at more than €12m.