Above: Haiti PM Laurent Lamothe
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe has reached a settlement agreement in his libel lawsuit against Haitian-American newspaper Haiti Observateur and journalist Leo Joseph.
District Court Judge John O’Sullivan entered an order approving a settlement between the parties on Monday.
The settlement means the matter is dismissed with prejudice, with each party bearing its own attorneys’ fees and costs. The case had been set for trial in January 2014.
Lamothe and Haitian businessman Patrice Baker had brought the defamation action in the fall of 2012, regarding statements published about the two concerning the government of Haiti’s acquisition of a telecommunications company called Haitel.
A February ruling following Joseph’s initial failure to respond barred the latter from writing anything about Lamothe; Judge Ursula Ungaro later shifted her ruling and ordered an amended complaint. The Prime Minister filed an amended complaint in June.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.