AG Nandlall files GY$100 million defamation lawsuit against Melissa “Melly Mel” Atwell; denies communicating with her

Last Updated on Saturday, 23 November 2024, 15:48 by Writer

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall on Friday filed a more than GY$100 million lawsuit against New York-based Guyanese social media political activist, Melissa “Melly Mel” Atwell for allegedly defaming him in several Facebook posts.

The court documents, which were released to the media states that the several posts were made on November 21-22 with a number of them tagged to Mr Nandlall’s two Facebook pages and President Irfaan Ali’s Facebook page.

In the lawsuit filed by attorneys-at-law Dharshan Ramdhani and Rajendra Jaigobin, the Attorney General, who is also a Central and Executive Committee member of the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) states that Ms Atwell’s posts are likely to affect his image in the eyes of, among others, his Cabinet colleagues and others of equal political standing.

“The nine publications made by the Defendant that have been complained about in these proceedings have seriously and irreparably damaged and are likely to continue to seriously and irreparably damage, the reputation and standing of the Claimant among his Cabinet colleagues, his political peers and indeed all right-thinking members of society in Guyana, the Caribbean and throughout the world,” he said.

The lawsuit states that Ms Atwell’s publications about Mr Nandlall in their natural and ordinary meaning are meant to and are understood to mean that he is untrustworthy and dishonest; speaks ill of his fellow cabinet members, unfit to be Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, unfit to be a member of the legal profession, unfit to be leader of the Bar, unfit to be a parliamentarian, and unfit to be a public figure and a political leader.

Mr Nandlall is regarded in some circles as a future PPP presidential candidate.

While Ms Atwell has given the distinct impression in a number of posts that Mr Nandlall had provided her with confidential information about other persons in government, the court documents state that he never interacted with her. “The Claimant has never met the Defendant, never interacted with her, does not know her, and has no relationship whatsoever with the Defendant,” the document states.

The Attorney General, through his lawyers, state that his only knowledge of her is of her presence and her posts on Facebook, and accordingly, the entire smear campaign launched against the claimant is based upon manufactured allegations, maliciously intended to destroy his reputation and professional standing, and to lower his status in the estimation of his Cabinet colleagues, his political peers and indeed all right-thinking members of society.

In an a brief statement that accompanied the release of the court documents to the media, the Attorney General challenged Ms Atwell to prove her claims in court. “I am hereby providing Melissa Atwell with a glorious opportunity to appear before and establish to the satisfaction of an independent and impartial tribunal, the veracity of the many false and fabricated allegations she has made against me. After all, it is the least I can do and Atwell deserves no less,” she said.

Mr Nandlall wants the High Court to issue an injunction restraining Ms Atwell, whether personally or through her agents from further publishing or causing to be published on her Facebook page “Melissa Ann Atwell (Melly Mel)” or on any social media platform, or through any other medium the same defamatory material or any similar words or publications defamatory of the Claimant. He is further asking the High Court for an order directing Ms Atwell to immediately remove all defamatory publications of hers from her Facebook page “Melissa Ann Atwell (Melly Mel)”.

The Attorney General’s court document states that he believes that Ms Atwell’s posts are a reprisal for his engagement with the United States (US) law enforcement agencies and US law firms to take actions against persons in the US who “publish similar and such statements that can and are intended to cause public injury.”

“The Defendant, with knowledge of the stance taken by the Government of Guyana through the Claimant, begun a malicious and spiteful defamatory campaign against the Claimant on her Facebook page by publishing a series of patently fabricated, concocted and malicious posts of and concerning the Claimant which were all observed,” says the statement of claim.

In subsequent Facebook posts, Ms Atwell challenged Mr Nandlall to file a lawsuit against her in the US. “Ya ga come to the US and sue me love. I’m a resident of the US. I don’t live in Guyana”.