Case by principal against TTUTA dismissed

Principal of the Ste Madeleine Secondary School Joy Arjoon-Singh yesterday lost the defamation lawsuit she brought against the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) and its president Lynsley Doodhai in March last year.

Justice Devindra Rampersad, in the San Fernando High Court yesterday, dismissed the matter in which Arjoon-Singh sought exemplary and aggravated damages and ruled in favour of Doodhai and his union. She has been ordered to pay the union’s legal costs.

Arjoon-Singh’s lawsuit came after comments allegedly made by Doodhai, in February 2017, about financial mismanagement at the school and calls for her removal.

In the matter filed by attorney Edwin Roopnarine, she called for an immediate retraction and public apology and an injunction restraining Doodhai and others from making or publishing similar defamatory statements.

TTUTA was represented by attorney Vonetta Adams. The union’s industrial relations officer Kyrla Robertson said this was an important matter, not only for TTUTA but for others who think when the union members make statements it is done in their personal capacity.

After the ruling, Doodhai said the union was delighted but there are still issues which need to be addressed.

“Our concerns are still with those teachers at the Ste Madeleine Secondary School. They still have issues dating back to last year when TTUTA would have ventilated publicly with regards to what was happening at the school.”

On March 6, 2017, missiles were thrown at teachers who took part in a picket demonstration, led by Doodhai and members of the union’s general council, outside the school to highlight concerns about what was taking place there.

Doodhai said those issues have not gone away and called on Education Minister Anthony Garcia to conduct an independent investigation into certain aspects of the school.