Black Stalin's widow seeks to overturn $300,000 default judgment in photo-use lawsuit

THE widow of five-time Calypso Monarch Leroy “Black Stalin” Calliste is seeking to overturn a default judgment of more than $300,000 after a photojournalist sued her over the unauthorised use of a 2011 photograph of her late husband.

The judgment was granted in February 2025.

Photographer Angelo Marcelle, trading as Trinirazzi HD, filed the lawsuit against Janet Calliste after the image he captured at De Nu Pub in Woodbrook appeared in promotional material for a Black Stalin tribute concert held October 4, 2024, at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts.

Marcelle alleged the image was first published with his permission by the Trinidad Guardian newspaper in April 2011 and later submitted to Newsday, which also published the photograph with his permission in December 2022, when the veteran calypsonian died.

Marcelle insisted he retained full copyright over the image and any use of the photo required his permission.

According to court documents, Marcelle claimed Calliste did not obtain his consent to reuse the image for the concert and did not remove it from advertising despite his objections. He sought over $360,000 in damages, quoting his daily usage rate for print promotional material, television and social media platforms.

After Calliste failed to respond to the claim or file a defence, Marcelle’s attorneys, Nigel Trancoso and David Carter, secured the default judgment. More than a month later, Calliste applied to have the ruling set aside, arguing she was unaware of the legal consequences.

Her attorney, Ernest Koylass, SC, said in court filings that Calliste, 77, is in poor health and lacked the means to hire legal representation and was relying on pro bono assistance. Koylass also questioned the damages awarded, stating they should have been independently assessed.

The matter is expected to be heard by High Court Master Wrenerson Lochan on June 1.

Leroy Calliste won his first Calypso Monarch title in 1979 and secured four more crowns through 1995. He died on December 28, 2022, at age 81.