McIlroy accused of hiding information

LONDON — Rory McIlroy, the world No 1, deliberately “wiped clean” several mobile phones to hide information about the split with his former management company, it has been alleged in a Dublin court.

The accusation was made by the legal team acting for Horizon, the sports agency with which McIlroy is embroiled in a bitter court battle that is now running into its 15th month.

The legal team, which is seeking orders from court for further disclosure, claimed the “factory resetting” was also performed on the devices of three other key figures in the case, including McIlroy’s father Gerry. The Horizon representatives described this as “incredible”.

McIlroy is suing the firm, run by Conor Ridge, in a bid to terminate what he called an “unconscionable” contract that cost him more than £4 million (S$8.2 million) in fees.

Horizon is counter-suing and demanding the payment of commissions on deals such as Nike’s — worth US$20 million (S$26.3 million) a year — as well as future commissions. Horizon put the current figure owed at almost £6 million and it has been reported that, if successful, Ridge’s company could be due up to £25 million.

A full hearing is inked in for February and if it goes ahead, McIlroy is expected to take the stand. However, before that the Horizon legal team has gone back to the High Court with the senior counsel insisting his clients had to bring the application because McIlroy had refused or failed to respond to requests for better disclosure.

They claim that McIlroy gave no satisfactory explanation for the destruction of electronic data on his devices and stressed the seriousness of someone involved in court proceedings failing to preserve material.

Initially, McIlroy explained he changed his devices regularly because of his “transient lifestyle”. However, on Tuesday, a statement to court said he did so to avoid phone calls from journalists.

Lawyers acting for McIlroy said there was “nothing unusual” in any of their client’s actions. McIlroy, it was maintained, had the means to purchase the latest model and deleted unwanted data when disposing of phones in order to protect his privacy.

Horizon lawyers claim that a month after proceedings in the initial case were filed by McIlroy’s lawyers in September 2013, the golfer’s iPhone was restored to factory settings and given to a cousin in Belfast. They also claimed that restoring the phone to factory settings is a “euphemism for forensically wiping devices with the intention that data cannot be recovered”.

Horizon is seeking court permission to inspect the devices and phone bills. They said if the devices were handed over, it could be possible to recover some of the information sought or other information of assistance to the case. The hearing continues. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH