Long-serving Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Councillor Rosalie Hamilton remained unfazed Tuesday after receiving a demand letter from the attorney representing Kingston Central Member of Parliament Donovan Williams over statements attributed to her in social media posts and threatening legal action if she fails to withdraw the comments and apologise to her political colleague.

In fact, Hamilton, who represents the Rae Town Division in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation, suggested that the leak of the voice notes, which she said were shared in a JLP social media group, was done to unnerve her.

“If they want to take it out the group and bring it to the media and think they can intimidate me, that is their business,” Hamilton told the Jamaica Observer as she confirmed that she had received the demand letter.

When the Observer asked her to comment on the letter, Hamilton said she had nothing to say about it. She explained that the voice notes that are now being circulated on social media were sent in a JLP supervisors’ group on WhatsApp and were directed at Williams, but someone in the group shared the messages externally.

In one of the voice notes Hamilton, who has represented the Rae Town Division for many years, suggests that there is a plot to put forward an aspirant to challenge her as the JLP councillor.

She declared that she would not be engaged in a run-off with the aspirant, but would contest the seat “on a ticket”.

“Me deh a foreign and me a campaign just like you. Mi nuh want nobody fi campaign fi mi, enuh. Mi have a name weh me can campaign pon and mi a warn you and tell you, mi a go open your file inna social media,” Hamilton said in reference to Williams.

“Everything is going in the media. You want a confrontation and me a go give you the confrontation. Mi a wait pon the right time,” she added.

In another of the voice messages, Hamilton said that Williams cannot remain in Kingston Central as MP and vowed to campaign against him until he loses the seat.

“Mi a go campaign mek you lose. Mi ‘affi get rid a you. You mi ‘affi get rid of, mi nah ask you dat,” Hamilton said.

On Tuesday, Williams, through his attorney at Richardson Law Chambers, issued a cease-and-desist letter to Hamilton by e-mail and
WhatsApp.

The letter accused Hamilton of making “false, malicious, and highly defamatory statements” about Williams via various social media platforms including, but not limited to WhatsApp and TikTok.

“Your decision to publish these statements concerning our client is deeply troubling and entirely unjustified. The contents of the said video are wholly untrue, and our client categorically rejects each and every assertion made therein. The natural and ordinary meaning of your words is to lower our client in the estimation of right-thinking members of society, expose him to public ridicule and contempt, and to undermine his integrity, credibility, and standing as a public official,” the letter signed by attorney Rodain Richardson stated.

He said the widespread circulation of the content, particularly on TikTok, “has significantly amplified the harm caused” and “have resulted in serious reputational damage, public embarrassment and ongoing distress to our client”.

The attorney accused Hamilton of “a reckless disregard for the truth, in circumstances where no reasonable steps appear to have been taken to verify the accuracy of the statements prior to publication”.

As such, he said her “actions are therefore actionable under the Defamation Act, 2013”.

He demanded that Hamilton immediately remove any offending videos and voice notes from WhatsApp, TikTok and any platform under her control or that of her agents. He said she was also to immediately cease and desist from making or publishing any further defamatory statements concerning Williams.

Additionally, the attorney demanded that Hamilton issue a full, unequivocal public retraction and apology, take steps to mitigate the damage caused by the publication, and provide written confirmation within 48 hours of receipt of the letter that she has fully complied with the demands.

“Take notice that should you fail to comply with the demands outlined herein within the stipulated time frame, we are instructed to pursue all avoidable legal remedies against you without further notice. This will include the initiation of proceedings in the Supreme Court of Judicature of Jamaica for defamation, together with applications for injunctive relief and all reliefs available at law,” the attorney said.

WILLIAMS… the JLP Member of Parliament for Kingston Central