by Linda Straker
- Justice Raulston Glasgow ruled The New Today defamed and libelled Karen Roden-Layne
- Internal investigation found no misappropriation of GSWMA’s credit card
- Parties given 21 days to discuss and agree on damages settlement
By the middle of February 2026, George Worme and the publishers of The New Today should settle the financial compensation package that will be awarded to Karen Roden-Layne, after Justice Raulston Glasgow ruled on 13 January that the publication defamed and libelled the retired general manager of the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA).
Following years of arguments and presentations in the High Court, the judge agreed that the publication failed to prove its claim that Roden-Layne had misused the Solid Waste Management Authority’s credit card. The publication had claimed that she misappropriated the use of the company’s credit card while on a trip to the United Kingdom.
Following the publication, an internal investigation was conducted by the then Board of Directors, whose chairman at the time was Dr Bert Brathwaite, and the investigation found that there was no misappropriation of the company’s credit card. The findings were also published in the publication as a paid advertisement.
Justice Glasgow has given the parties 21 days to discuss and agree on a settlement in damages. If they cannot agree, the Master of the Court will hear and determine the quantum at an assessment hearing in 2 months.
