The Tribune

By Khrisna Russell

ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel said yesterday the $800,000 demanded by Save The Bays for damages and legal costs related to the Supreme Court’s ruling involving former Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald is “rather generous” and will “have to be taxed down”.

A demand letter addressed to the former minister and the Office of the Attorney General from attorney Fred Smith, QC, gave the government 14 days to settle the hefty debt.

In the letter, Mr Fitzgerald was instructed to pay costs of Mr Smith’s clients’ appeal, which totalled $641,353.23 in addition to $150,000 the Supreme Court ordered the former Marathon MP to pay.

Mr Bethel said: “Well I saw that, the attorney for STB had a rather generous bill of cost. Naturally that will have to be taxed down.

“On the question of the issue of the cost in respect to the defendants in that matter we are looking at that issue. For the $150,000 we are reviewing that to see whether or not we are obligated to pay it. I have someone who is giving me advice in my office and we’ll await that advice. It won’t be long.”

He continued: “Legal proceedings are legal proceedings. Once I can make a demand of the other and the other could determine whether they are going to bow to the demand or whether they are going to address it in some other way. One thing we know all these matters end up before court one way or the other.”

Indra Charles, justice of the Supreme Court, ruled last year Mr Fitzgerald breached the privacy of members of STB when he read their private emails in Parliament last March.

In addition to the $150,000 in damages, the court granted STB a permanent injunction prohibiting the then-education minister from disclosing or publishing any private information belonging to the group without its consent. The court also ordered Mr Fitzgerald destroy all documents or electronic files belonging to STB’s members.

Mr Smith, a member of STB, was a plaintiff in the matter.

The Christie administration appealed the decision.

Mr Fitzgerald also moved a motion in Parliament for the matter to be sent to the Committee on Privilege.

In June, Mr Bethel instructed a withdrawal of the appeal.