Michael Flatley has been residing the ‘way of life of a Monaco millionaire’ by borrowing cash and has an ‘insatiable urge for food’ for ‘way of life money’, a court docket in Belfast heard.
Lawyers representing Flatley in a battle to clear an interim injunction mentioned he secured greater than £430,000 ‘in a single day’ to finish an settlement with the agency blocking him from participating with The Lord Of The Dance.
He can also be mentioned to have spent £65,000 on a party, a court docket has been advised.
The Irish dancer, 67, rose to worldwide prominence performing Riverdance at Eurovision in 1994, earlier than occurring to create his hit stage present.
The manufacturing’s thirtieth anniversary tour is because of play in Dublin’s 3 Arena subsequent Wednesday, persevering with in numerous international locations together with the UK, Germany, Croatia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Switzer Consulting is taking authorized motion in a civil case in opposition to Flatley for alleged breach of contract, regarding an settlement the agency says was reached to permit it to run the dance reveals.
Switzer has already secured a brief injunction to cease him from interfering with the reveals, with Flatley’s legal professionals arguing beforehand the programme was in peril of ‘falling aside’ with out his involvement.
Now Gary McHugh KC, for Switzer, has advised the Chancery Court in Belfast’s Royal Courts of Justice that an injunction was vital to guard Switzer’s pursuits as a result of Flatley’s monetary state of affairs would have left him unable to pay damages.
Michael Flatley (pictured) has been residing the ‘way of life of a Monaco millionaire’ by borrowing cash and has an ‘insatiable urge for food’ for ‘way of life money’, a court docket in Belfast heard
The Irish dancer and choreographer rose to worldwide prominence performing Riverdance at Eurovisionin 1994, earlier than occurring to create stage present The Lord Of The Dance
The authorized dispute hinges on a phrases of service settlement underneath which Flatley transferred mental property rights for Lord Of The Dance to Switzer.
They have been then in flip required to offer enterprise administration providers to Flatley, together with accounts and payroll.
For this, Flatley agreed to pay the corporate £35,000 monthly for the primary 24 months, rising to £40,000 a month thereafter.
Mr McHugh learn a press release by Flatley’s former monetary advisor Des Walsh who mentioned the dancer ‘is aware of why he finds himself on this place’.
He mentioned that Flatley ‘has lived the approach to life of a Monaco millionaire’ by borrowing cash ‘as he didn’t even have the minimal money required to open a residency bundle’.
‘At the time Michael was suggested that he mustn’t transfer into that wealth circle as he merely didn’t have the assets,’ the assertion learn.
‘Michael ignored this recommendation and has basically maintained this facade of wealth utilizing different individuals’s monies ever since.’
The court docket heard this was exacerbated by Flatley’s ‘horrendous enterprise errors, which price him hundreds of thousands of extra borrowings’, at a time when ‘he had no revenue and was operating out of room financially’.
Irish dancer Michael Flatley leaves the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast on January 27 2026
Mr Walsh’s assertion added that ‘as a substitute of reining in his spending, adjusting his lifetime prices and reducing his material to go well with his measure, Michael merely borrowed extra money from extra individuals.
‘It was all about picture. All of this borrowing was used to take care of a pretence of wealth.
‘Michael would borrow cash from anybody he might, and always put strain on everybody on the lookout for money.’
His affidavit additionally claimed Flatley’s ‘urge for food for way of life money was insatiable’, and he borrowed £65,000 for a party and £43,000 to hitch Monaco Yacht Club.
David Dunlop KC, representing Flatley, pushed again on claims Flatley ‘was a poor supervisor of his personal affairs and was a person with substantial money owed’, saying that ‘advert hominem’ assaults had been made on the dancer’s character.
Mr Dunlop argued that Switzer’s entitlement was restricted to a payment of £420,000 for the 60 remaining months of its phrases of service settlement with Flatley.
He mentioned that ‘in a single day’ Flatley had cleared £433,000 that was being held by a solicitor in Dublin that might pay for damages to finish the contract with Switzer.
‘While many averments have been made about Mr Flatley’s monetary affairs the proof is within the pudding,’ he mentioned.
The Irish dancer and choreographer rose to worldwide prominence performing Riverdance at Eurovision in 1994, earlier than occurring to create the stage present The Lord Of The Dance
Flatley endeared himself hundreds of thousands because the creator of hit stage reveals known as Lord Of The Dance
Michael Flatley is pictured right here with spouse Niamh and son Michael in November 2015
‘He is the one who’s managed to generate and has made obtainable half one million kilos.
‘It’s not Mr Flatley who has the monetary difficulties on this case, it’s the plaintiff.’
Asserting that Switzer’s arguments had not addressed the ‘authorized core’ of the case, Mr Dunlop added: ‘To use a soccer metaphor, they attacked the participant not the ball.’
Mr Dunlop pushed again on claims made by Switzer’s authorized crew that the monetary preparations within the contract have been basically to guard The Lord Of The Dance from Flatley’s monetary repute.
He advised the court docket: ‘Ultimately if there’s injury brought about to the operation of the Lord Of The Dance when Mr Flatley is enterprise it, effectively it is his property.
‘If it suffers loss, that is actually his downside.
‘However if he is proper, and Switzer is a very untrustworthy agent in whom he has misplaced all belief in any respect for the following 12 months or thereabouts it’ll management the mental property.
‘It might do untold injury to Mr Flatley’s mental property.
‘It has no incentive to retain the worth of the mental property as a result of it is solely entitled to be paid a service payment.
‘So Switzer has no pores and skin within the sport actually order to guard the Lord Of The Dance.’
A court docket ruling is predicted afterward Thurday.