Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has filed a $5M lawsuit against social media commentator, Bryon Mackintosh also known as ‘Bryan Max’, whom he accuses of continuously making defamatory statements about him on social media, with the most recent linked to danger and possibly death.
In his statement of claim, Jagdeo submitted that on November 9, 2023, in a live broadcast on his Facebook page, Mackintosh, in an “aggressive” and “menacing” manner accused him and his “boys” of cutting the brakes of his car while it was parked at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri.
Using a series of indecent language, Mackintosh claimed that Jagdeo had “declared war.”
“The words in their natural and ordinary meaning meant and were understood to mean that the claimant (Jagdeo) was directly involved in the apparent sabotage of Max’s car with the objective of causing his death,” Jagdeo’s lawyer noted in the statement of claim.
“The meaning of what was said by the claimant (Jagdeo) is plain and the meaning is understood to mean that the claimant sent persons to cut the brake line of his car, that the brake line was cut by persons sent by the claimant because the claimant wanted the defendant dead and that the claimant was directing the commission of a criminal act and was engaged in a conspiracy to kill the defendant,” the court documents further stated.
Through his attorney, Sanjeev Datadin, Jagdeo highlighted that this is not the first of such instances in which Mackintosh made similar claims.
“The repetition has been fanciful, illogical, overly dramatized, nonsensical and non-sequitur narrations which repeat and reinforce, by the use of similar words,” the statement of claim noted.
In fact, the Vice President said that due to the claims made by Mackintosh, his reputation has been damaged and he has suffered “considerable” distress and embarrassment.
“The repetition by the defendant (Max) is relied upon as aggravating circumstances entitling the claimant (Jagdeo) to aggravated damages,” Jagdeo said in his statement of claim.
As such, through the lawsuit, Jagdeo is hoping that the court will grant an injunction restraining Mackintosh from further publishing the same or other words that are defamatory to him.
The Vice President is also seeking that an order be issued, directing Mackintosh to remove all social media posts which contain “false” and “defamatory” words or similar words which convey the same meaning from his Facebook page.
And, he is asking for another order to be issued directing Mackintosh to retract and apologise for making the statements.
why such a small amount lawsuit..I say $10 million us dollars should keep him quiet for a very very very very very long time.