West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has won his defamation case against former Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson and is set to receive “substantial damages” and a full public apology for certain derogatory comments he made in a radio program last year.
The Jamaican’s England-based lawyer Suzette Thompson said Lawson had erred in making offensive comments on the “Big Sports Breakfast,” saying that her client was now pleased with the outcome.
“These comments were published and aired without proper journalist research, nor was Samuel contacted to give his views on the damaging remarks about his character,” she said.
The attorney said Lawson and the Big Sports Breakfast radio have now settled and are issuing a full public apology and agreed to pay substantial damages to Samuel.
Speaking a day after Samuels steered West Indies to win the Twenty20 World Cup in India last April, Lawson claimed the player was associated with criminal activity in Jamaica and was “a guy you don’t muck around with on or off the field.”
Samuels then instructed his lawyers to take legal action against Lawson fir “erroneous, malicious and unjustifiable comments”.
Samuels, 36, a veteran of 71 Tests and 187 One-Day Internationals, said it had been important to defend his values.
It is understood that Samuels will donate a percentage of the damages to the Marlon Samuels Society for the Blind in Jamaica along with other charities, according to the Jamaica Observer.
