Creative team sues NOW’s Kirk Waithe over outstanding payment

Black Immigrant Daily News

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NOW leader and Laventille West candidate Kirk Waithe makes his case to Beetham residents to elect him as their MP. – SUREASH CHOLAI

THREE former members of the NOW political party’s creative team have filed a lawsuit against the defunct party’s leader, Kirk Waithe, seeking outstanding payments owed to them for work done since February 2020.

The lawsuit was filed on August 2, 2022, and served on Waithe, last week, by attorneys Darryl Heeralal and Nerisa Bala, for Nicole Martin, Quincy Ross and Richard Lewis.

The lawsuit, which has been assigned to Justice Kevin Ramcharan, says Martin was contracted to do work for Waithe’s NOW in December 2019 in the run up to the 2020 general election.

Martin put together the team, comprising herself, Ross and Lewis, making it clear “they were not volunteers.”

The claim said at all times Martin negotiated directly with Waithe and at no time were negotiations done with NOW nor were they told they were hired by the party.

The lawsuit contends Waithe agreed to pay each of them a fixed monthly fee and never suggested these payments would be based on donations to the party or that they were obliged to provide detailed invoices of work done in order to be paid. The three also said the work done was for NOW’s advertising campaign.

They were paid for January 2020 while partial cash payments were made in February for April.

They say they are owed a total of $66,750 for February-May 2020.

“As a result of the defendant’s refusal to pay the sums owed, the claimants have suffered loss and damage.

“The acts of the defendant were calculated by him to make a profit at the expense of the claimants and the claimants say the defendant is liable to them for exemplary damages,” their lawsuit contends.

Before filing the lawsuit, attorneys for the three sent pre-action protocol letters seeking payment. However, the lawsuit said although being asked to hold off on any legal action, they received no response up to June 2022.

“To date, the claimants have not received any of their outstanding payments and they continue to suffer severe hardship and distress as a result of the defendant’s failure and/or refusal to honour the contractual debt.”

NewsAmericasNow.com