Portia Demands Apology From Holness Over Nomination Day Comment Or Else ...

By: Barbara Gayle, Justice Coordinator

Image caption: Simpson Miller ... She contends that the comments have lowered her in the estimation of right-thinking members of society.

Barbara Gayle, Justice Coordinator

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has accused Opposition Leader Andrew Holness of defaming her on Nomination Day and has written to him demanding an apology.

The letter states that if there is no apology within the next three days, then Simpson Miller will institute legal proceedings against Holness.

The Prime Minister contends that the comments have lowered her in the estimation of right-thinking members of society.

Attorney-at-law Bert Samuels of the firm Knight, Junor & Samuels is handling the case.

The Prime Minister says the defamation against her took place in a media interview.

"Be advised that in an interview with members of the media in your constituency on Tuesday the 9th February 2016, Nomination Day your comments contained allegations that were most defamatory of our client, " the letter stated.

"On that occasion, words were used and published on Television Jamaica’s 7 p.m newscast on the said Tuesday the 9th February, 2016 which tended to injure, degrade and discredit the character of our client, exposing her to hatred, contempt and ridicule and which therefore tended to lower her in the estimation of right-thinking members of society. 

"It is our view that ordinary, intelligent and unbiased persons, with the ordinary person’s general knowledge and experience of worldly affairs would be likely to understand those words as conveying that our client was involved in acts calculated to deceive or swindle the public. 

"The purpose of this letter is to demand that a suitably worded apology, approved by our client be published on Television Jamaica , in the Jamaica Observer and The Gleaner and that our client be paid damages commensurate with her station in life locally and internationally, along with his legal costs. The frequency of these publications must also be approved by our client."

However, Samuels say such apology will not automatically absolve Holness from an obligation to pay damages to his client.

Samuels says the letter was delivered at 12.41 pm at the Jamaica Labour Party headquarters.

Efforts to reach Holness for a comment were not successful as calls to his phone went unanswered and he did not immediately respond to text messages.