Apology not accepted — Information Minister Nesta Morgan sued for alleged defamation
NEW YORK, United States — Just over two weeks after being forced to apologise and withdraw defamatory comments he allegedly made on an online platform, Information Minister Robert Nesta Morgan has been sued in the Supreme Court of Jamaica.
His accuser, former Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) special agent and attorney Wilfred Rattigan, has made good on his threat to seek redress in the courts on the matter, instructing his attorney Isat Buchanan to file the suit on February 26, 2024.
The lawsuit includes claims for damages, damages for defamation, and damages for negligence. It also seeks: “Interest at such rate and for such period as this honourable court deems just pursuant to the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act or at such rate for such a period as the court sees fit.”
Rattigan, a fiery JamaicanAmerican, is also seeking costs against minister Morgan as well as any such further relief as the Supreme Court may deem fit. The suit did not mention any monetary amount as a settlement.
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), out of which Morgan operates as minister without portfolio with responsibility for information, and the attorney general of Jamaica have been listed as defendants in the case.
Rattigan is claiming in his suit that Morgan on January 21, 2024, while engaged on a local talk show CHOPPSMEDIA, which broadcasts to thousands of people, made defamatory statements against him.
The claim alleges that in the defamatory statement Morgan stated that Rattigan was “dishonourably discharged from the FBI and has never served in Jamaica as claimed”. The claim noted further that:
“The context of the conversation which the 1st defendant had on the broadcast was done in such a way to discredit the claimant.
The first defendant has sought to disparage the claimant and ruin his reputation by the nature of his false statement.
“The said defamatory statements were calculated and/or intended to and did cause injury to the claimant’s goodwill; the statement did expose the claimant to hatred, contempt and ridicule.”
According to the suit, “The claimant suffered loss and damage to his reputation, as well as negative opinions and disapproval of and refusal to do business with the claimant.”
In his apology and withdrawal of his comments on February 14, Morgan said: “I have no aversion in withdrawing the comments I made as I wish to make it very clear that there was no intention to defame Mr Rattigan. I apologise to him and his family and sincerely withdraw any comments Mr Rattigan deemed or thought was defamatory.”
Morgan also declared that he had no intention of engaging in any court action with anyone on the matter.
For his part, Rattigan said that his action was not about money.
“This is not, and I want to re-iterate, is not about monetary gains. In fact, I want to assure all concerned that any money that comes from my action will be used to assist a student or students from a depressed community in Jamaica,” he said.
This is not the first time Rattigan has had a run in with a minister of the current Jamaica Labour Party Administration. A practising attorney and an outspoken member of the Diaspora, he has been a regular critic of the Government over its handling of several issues — specifically crime, violence and corruption.
Last year he brought an unsuccessful suit in the Supreme Court to get the Administration to disclose the source of donations for the failed bid by Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith to be elected Commonwealth secretary general. He has since appealed the ruling.