Lead Stories

Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

The three employees who were fired in April last year by Contractor General Greg Christie, for allegedly withholding critical information, are pursuing the issue in the Court of Appeal.

They are appealing against a Supreme Court ruling striking out their claim after Justice Donald McIntosh granted them leave on July 3 last year to apply to the Judicial Review Court to challenge their dismissals.

Queen's Counsel Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, who represented the contractor general, applied to have the claim struck out on grounds that, after the applicants were granted leave, they did not file a claim form within the next 14 days, in accordance with the Civil Procedure Rules.

Supreme Court judge Andrew Rattray upheld the legal arguments and struck out the claim.

Rattray said the applicants filed their actions to quash their dismissals by the contractor general without first obtaining the leave of the court. He said it was not a mere technicality but a clear breach of Section 56 of the Civil Procedure Rules.

Former employees Lafette Edgehill, Dwight Reid and Danette Spence, who are represented by attorneys-at-law Carlton Williams and Derrick McKoy, are appealing the ruling on the grounds that the judge erred in striking out the claim.

They said in the grounds of appeal that their application were filed in the Supreme Court by way of a fixed-date claim form, supported by affidavits, so there was no need to file another claim form after leave was granted.

The employees had taken their case to the Supreme Court contending that their dismissals were unfair. They claim they were fired for allegedly refusing to disclose information about persons in the office who were allegedly taking bribes. The employees are contending that they have no information about the alleged bribes.

barbara.gayle@gleanerjm.com