Vaz and Campbell End Supreme Court Defamation Battle With Settlement

A defamation claim brought by Government Minister Daryl Vaz against People's National Party General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell has been resolved through settlement.

The case, which reached the Supreme Court, arose from comments Campbell made during a political rally in July 2023. Those remarks were taken to connect Vaz with the 1983 killing of Diane Smith, a student at Immaculate Conception High School, and with a reported 2015 plan to target then Opposition Leader Andrew Holness.

Under the settlement, Campbell has signed a written apology in which he withdraws the statements and states they have "no foundation in truth" and are "categorically false."

Campbell is also required to record and share a video apology on his social media accounts by Thursday, July 9, publish the apology in The Jamaica Gleaner and the Jamaica Observer, and pay $1.5 million toward costs linked to the matter.