Judge lifts and then reinstates injunction in Chung, St Louis vs TT Table Tennis Assoc

A High Court judge yesterday lifted an injunction concerning the court battle involving the TT Table Tennis Association (TTTTA) and France-based national players Rheann Chung and Dexter St Louis, but later reinstated it.

Chung and St Louis are challenging the decision by the TTTTA to leave them out of the national team which will compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4 to 15.

Attorneys Mathew Gayle, sports lawyer Dr Emir Crowne and Sheriza Khan are representing Chung and St Louis while, Kiel Taklalsingh, Dinesh Rambally and Stefan Ramkissoon are representing the TTTTA.

The TTTTA says St Louis and Chung did not follow the national selection policy implemented at the Association’s AGM in January 2016. Therefore, Aaron Wilson and Yuvraaj Dookram were chosen as the TT representatives for the Commonwealth Games.

The selection policy states that if players are interested in representing the national team, they must participate in at least one tournament in TT on the TTTTA calender, and have a podium finish in the last nine months.

Yesterday, submissions were made by both sides on various issues raised by the judge concerning the injunction granted on January 12.

After hearing the arguments, Justice Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell lifted the injunction.

Hours later she reinstated it, until January 31, after attorneys for St Louis and Chung agreed to give an undertaking that they will foot the TTTTA’s bill if any claim for compensation is made against it because of the injunction.

According to the terms of the injunction, the association is prevented from taking any further action in its decision to select Wilson and Dookram for the Commonwealth Games.

Rambally had argued that by law, an undertaking by the two was required since they were based overseas.

The judge agreed with Rambally and lifted the injunction but later reinstated it when the agreement was e-mailed to her by the players’ attorneys.

The judge also gave directions to attorneys for both sides to file their submissions and made it clear that they were to be complied with.