''RGRE Grafton Ltd v Bewley's Cafe Grafton Street Ltd and Bewley’s Ltd'' is an Irish legal case in the High Court between building owners RGRE Grafton Ltd and tenants Bewley's Cafe Grafton Street Ltd and Bewley's Ltd. The case related to non-payment of rent during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. RGRE sought a declaration that the stained-glass windows, designed by

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau ...

, at

Bewley's Oriental Café Bewley's is an Irish hot beverage company, located in Dublin and founded in 1840, which operates internationally. Its primary business operations are the production of tea and coffee, and the operations of cafés. Bewley's has operations in Ire ...

on Grafton Street in Dublin form part of the building and therefore belong to the landlord, as opposed to decorative panels that belong to the tenants. In October 2022 it was announced that the judgment from Mr Justice Denis McDonald would be delayed until at least 8 December. In January 2023 the court decided that some of the windows belonged to the landlord and some to the tenant. In July 2024, the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

ruled (overturning part of the 2023 ruling) that all six of the works were part of building and therefore the property of RGRE Grafton Ltd.

References

{{reflist Republic of Ireland case law Property case law