Click to view full size

THE Court of Appeal is expected to deliver a ruling in May or June that could set a precedent for newspapers publishing anonymous statements in paid advertisements.

Justices of Appeal Nolan Bereaux, Mark Mohammed, and James Aboud reserved their decision on the Trinidad Express’s appeal against a 2023 ruling in favour of prime minister-in-waiting Stuart Young, who was defamed in a 2017 paid advertisement.

In October 2023, Justice Betsy Ann Lambert-Peterson ruled that the Express defamed Young by publishing a two-page advertisement that grouped him with alleged scandals. The ad, paid for by an anonymous group identified as “Dissatisfied citizens of Trinidad and Tobago,” suggested Young had engaged in misconduct in public office.