Jack sues journalist for alleged online defamation

File: Jack Warner on tour of a squatting community in south Trinidad last week

Jack Warner has sued journalist Lasana Liburd for libel arising out of a statement Liburd allegedly published on the twitter social networking site on February 16.

The legal action was taken after Liburd refused to accept liability as outlined in a pre-action protocol letter by Warner's attorneys who asked the journalist to give an undertaking, in writing, that he will not repeat, publish or cause to be published, any further statements which may be deemed to be defamatory. 

The letter also called on Liburd to retract the statement and apologise on Twitter and on his website wired868.com.

"The seriousness of the defamatory words is compounded by the fact that it purports to shed light on fraudulent appropriation of monies which were donated to the earthquake stricken country of Haiti," the legal letter stated.

It added, "It is apparent that the words published are done with the dominant motive of discrediting the intended claimant's credibility in the political party locally as well as his reputation of good standing internationally in the sport of football."

Liburd's response on May 10 sent by his attorney Dave de Peiza stated that he would "vigorously defend" any claim brought against him by Warner since, prior to publishing the article, he contacted Warner for his side of the story but Warner declined.

Warner is seeking compensation and an injunction restraining Liburd from further publishing, or causing to be published, the said words or any similar defamatory words.