Bruce hits back - Golding, Brady set to square off in court
Published:Sunday | November 28, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
THE ACRIMONIOUS wrangling raging between Prime Minister Bruce Golding and attorney-at-law Harold Brady over the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips debacle has taken on new dimensions, with Golding formally filing his defence, and Brady accusing members of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) of engaging in a massive smear campaign against him.
"I have been contacted by the General Legal Council (GLC) that persons are interested in finding out complaints that have been made against me, notwithstanding the fact that I have never had any adverse rulings," claimed Brady.
Golding has formally filed his defence against Brady's defamation suit in the Supreme Court after talks involving the attorneys representing the two men reportedly crumbled.
"I have heard nothing," declared Brady when asked about the agreement to allow the lawyers to thrash out the matter out of court.
Brady told The Sunday Gleaner that his attorney had dispatched a letter to Golding's lawyers requesting they outline a settlement arrangement. However, Brady said a response has not been forthcoming.
Relationship gone sour
The long relationship between the two men disintegrated as the Golding administration wilted under the pressure brought about by the ill-fated engagement with reputable United States law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
Brady's suit cited damages for libel, exemplary or aggravated damages, costs, as well as such further and other relief.
It also claims libel for various statements "Golding made on September 14, 2010, at a press conference that contained words that were defamatory".
The suit further claims that Brady suffered injuries, loss, and damage.
Brady said he would not be deterred or daunted by the antics and shenanigans of some members of the JLP, who he refused to identify.
"I continue to stand by the professional integrity that I have established," he declared. "No attempt to muddy my name will prevent me from doing the right thing."
Brady said he also received information that members of the media had written to the General Legal Council in an attempt to get all reports against him turned over for publication.
"They have never found me in any misdeeds," he asserted. "The matter that they are focusing on involves a family matter - that has caused serious issues in the family - that we are just getting over."
Brady charged that a member of the General Legal Council who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the JLP is involved in the mud-slinging activities.
In his defence, received by The Sunday Gleaner, Golding stated that in or about the week of September 6, 2009, Brady approached him and suggested that he could make contact with Frank Fahrenkoph, the chairman of the Republican Party in the United States.
Facilitate dialogue
This was to solicit Fahrenkoph's assistance in opening dialogue relating to the Christopher Coke extradition request at a higher level of the US government to facilitate a better understanding of the Jamaican Government's concerns regarding flaws in the way the extradition request was made.
"The claimant (Brady) was instructed and agreed that in contacting Frank Fahrenkoph, he was representing the JLP," the court documents showed.
He said Brady was advised that the JLP would pay his expenses.
According to Golding's defence, sometime in or about the week of September 13, 2009, Brady advised Golding that he had in fact contacted Fahrenkoph, who then advised him to make contact with Chuck Manatt, who was at one time chairman of the Democratic Party in the US.
Assistance for Brady
The court documents claimed that Brady further advised that he had contacted the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips (the firm in which Chuck Manatt is a partner), and that Brady was being assisted by a senior partner of Chuck Manatt's law firm.
Golding's defence stated that Brady also indicated to the prime minister that Manatt would wish to be formally retained and its fees would be US$100,000 per quarter as long as its services were required.
Golding said he gave instructions to the deputy treasurer of the JLP, Daryl Vaz, to arrange for payment of the fees.
According to Golding in his defence, some two weeks later, Brady informed him that Manatt would prefer to be the Government's client, to which he emphatically disagreed.
Golding said Brady's response was, "OK, prime minister."
He said Brady signed a retainer agreement with Manatt, dated October 1, 2009, in which he (Brady) was described as a consultant to the Government of Jamaica.
However, Golding claimed that he was not informed that Brady had signed the retainer.