Social media commentator Mikhail Rodrigues, also known as “Guyanese Critic,” lost another libel suit in the High Court today, resulting in an order to pay $8 million to political leader and activist Simona Broomes.
In February 2024, Broomes filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Rodrigues for defamatory statements made on his social media talk show. He falsely accused her of being a human trafficker and claimed that, as a government minister, she halted mining operations in the interior for personal gain.
Justice Precilla Hanif ruled this morning that Rodrigues made libelous statements against Broomes during a live stream on January 22, 2024, on his Facebook page “They Break News,” in a program titled “MORNING LIVE. WITH THE CRITIC.”
The Court found that Rodrigues defamed Broomes by stating she was involved in a “whorehouse” business and was a “trafficker,” which implied she was a human trafficker. As a result, he was ordered to pay $5 million for that claim.
Regarding the statement about the shutdown of mining operations, the Court deemed it defamatory as well, ordering Rodrigues to pay an additional $3 million.
In its ruling, the Court mandated Rodrigues to remove all social media posts containing the defamatory statements. Interest will accrue from the date of the filing of the Statement of Claim.
Earlier this week, in a separate case, Rodrigues, along with Freddie Kissoon and his social media entity, was ordered to pay a former APNU+AFC Member of Parliament $6 million for defamatory statements made against him. In March, Rodrigues was also ordered to pay $52 million to the billionaire Mohamed family for similar reasons.
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