ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Aug 26, CMC – Lawyers representing the ex-wife of a government minister whose United States visa has been revoked by Washington, have filed a pre-action protocol letter against a newspaper here on the issue.
The lawyers for Dr. Ophelia Wells have sent the pre-action protocol letter to the weekly New Today Newspaper demanding among other things that the paper and its Facebook page cease and desist from publishing or repeating any false statements concerning her marital and or visa status.
The lawyers said that the August 22nd edition of the paper and a publication on its Facebook page dated August 21st defamed their client by claiming she is the estranged wife of Finance Minister, Dennis Cornwall and that her visa to the US had been revoked because the US had revoked Cornwall’s visa.
The letter explained that the natural and ordinary meaning of these words used in the article presented Dr Wells as a married woman engaging in adultery and that the defamed words are factually incorrect.
“While Dr. Wells was previously married to Mr Dennis Cornwall, that marriage legally ended in 2023, a public fact known to all. As such, she is not currently married and can therefore neither be described as the wife or the estranged wife of Mr. Dennis Cornwall. Further, Dr. Wells is not the mistress of anyone,” said the letter from the law firm of Forrester Legal Chambers.
“Moreover, our client denies any knowledge of her visa issued by the United States of America having been revoked and or restricted in any way… There is no reference to our client in the Official Government release which confirms the reckless and careless nature of the assertions in the publications made by you,” said the letter which described Dr Wells as a highly regarded professional providing consultancy services to numerous clients including the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The publication of these falsehoods are defamatory of our client as it is not only misleading but has caused and continues to cause distress and reputational harm to Dr. Wells. Since the publication, our client has been bombarded with calls and messages from people in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and other Caribbean states, regarding the contents of the publication,” said the letter.
The lawyers said that their client’s “character, credibility and reputation, which she has garnered throughout her professional life, have been seriously damaged and she is sustaining considerable distress and embarrassment.
“There is not, without more, any public interest in a legal sense in the disclosure or publication of purely private information of our client as she is not in public life,” said the letter which is addressed to the newspaper’s editor, George Worme.
The letter is demanding that the paper immediately cease and desist from publishing or repeating any false statements concerning Dr Well’s marital and or visa status and issue a full and prominent correction and public apology in the same manner and form of the referenced publications within seven days on terms to be approved by the law firm on behalf of Dr Wells.
The lawyers are also demanding that the publisher of the articles indemnify Dr Wells in respect of the costs to which she has been put in because of the matter and to confirm in writing within seven days of the date of this letter that the paper will comply with the above and that no further such statements will be published.
“If you fail to comply, we reserve instructions to initiate legal proceedings against you without further notice. Dr. Wells will seek appropriate remedies, including but not limited to damages for defamation, an injunction to prevent further publication of false statements; recovery of legal costs”.
CMC/ls/ir/2025