Photographer loses $101M lawsuit against `Critic’ over ‘Mudwata’ claims

Justice Navindra Singh on Friday dismissed the $101M lawsuit claim filed by local photographer, Keron Bruce against popular social media commentator Mikhail Rodrigues, known as the ‘Guyanese Critic.’

Bruce had moved to the court seeking damages over statements by Rodrigues on his Facebook page, where he claimed that Bruce was behind the animated character ‘Mudwata.’

However, Rodrigues countered the lawsuit by filing his own claim, alleging that Bruce’s assumed character had published that he was a homosexual, and even made it into song.

Justice Singh, in his ruling seen by the News Room, pointed out that Rodrigues’ only evidence was a conversation that allegedly took place between him and Bruce in 2017, during which Bruce mentioned his intention to create a cartoon character named ‘Mudwata.’

However, Bruce denied knowing Rodrigues or ever having such a conversation with him. Bruce further stated that another person was present during that conversation, but that person was not called as a witness in the case.

Ultimately, Justice Singh dismissed Bruce’s lawsuit against Rodrigues, highlighting the lack of substantial evidence to support his claims.

“[Bruce’s] case is deficient in both pleadings and evidence to enable the court to decide as to whether he suffered any warranted harm to his reputation by [Rodrigues] stating that he is “Mudwata” or whether being identified as “Mudwata” would tend to have a substantially adverse effect on the way persons treated [him],” the High Court judge ruled.

Rodrigues’ counterclaim was also dismissed. Bruce was represented by lawyers, Anastasia Sandford and Tamieka Clarke while attorneys-at-law Marcel Bobb and Esther Osborne represented Rodrigues.