WESTERN BUREAU — People’s National Party activist, Roy “Tenny” Miller has instructed his lawyers to file suit against two of his comrades, Montego Bay mayor, Hugh Solomon and member of parliament for West Central St James, Arthur Nelson.

The civil is being filed in connection with an alleged case of assault by Solomon and alleged slander and defamation charges against Nelson.

The charges have stemmed from an altercation between the three comrades, during a December 18 party at the PNP’s Region Six office at Ironshore in Montego Bay.

“My client faxed instructions (last Thursday) instructing me to proceed with the case,” said attorney Clive Mullings.

But, charging that he does not want to tip his hand, Mullings would not give a specific date on when the suit would be filed, but he did say that it would be “soon”.

Solomon declined to comment on the impending lawsuit yesterday, but Nelson charged that he had not slandered Miller.

“I know we were all talking quite heatedly to each other but I don’t remember telling him anything personal,” Nelson told the Observer.

Allegations are that as the alcohol flowed during the night’s festivities on December 18, Nelson approached Miller and raised the issue of a videotape that he had paid the activist $20,000 to supply but had failed to receive more than two years later.

The two were then embroiled in a heated argument during which expletives and insults were allegedly exchanged.

According to one party insider, Nelson then went to Solomon, who had recently arrived, and complained about Miller’s behaviour. Solomon then allegedly engaged in a heated argument with Miller, whom he accused of “dissing the MP”.

It was also alleged that during the bickering, Solomon’s thumb ended up in Miller’s left eye.

Miller, who had arrived in the island to run PNP candidate Gordon Brown’s campaign in North West St James, returned to the United States shortly after the incident. According to Mullings, his client has indicated that he has received several threats against his life.

“He has informed me, in a facsimile, that he has received several threats on his life. He has not said from whom,” Mullings explained.

Miller reported the alleged assault against Solomon to the police shortly after 11:00 pm on the night of the incident.

The discord among the comrades has heightened the tension among party supporters in sections of West Central St James. The constituency’s PNP camp was already under some strain as it has never fully recovered from the battle of the two Arthurs which saw Nelson and Arthur Gilchrist vying for the chance to represent the area in the last general polls.

Miller is thought to be aligned to the Gilchrist camp, and was said not to be well-liked by those who support Nelson and Solomon.

The Montego Bay mayor was recently given the nod to replace Nelson as the party’s candidate in West Central St James in the upcoming general elections.