Journalist responds to Haiti Prime Minister Lamothe lawsuit

Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe

A Haitian-American journalist sued by Haiti’s prime minister in a defamation lawsuit is standing by his reporting.

Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe filed a lawsuit Monday in Miami federal court against the weekly newspaper Haiti-Observateur and its reporter Leo Joseph.

The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based newspaper serves Haiti’s diaspora community. The lawsuit says Joseph and the newspaper published false and malicious reports about Lamothe’s role in the sale of a telecommunications company acquired by the Haitian government earlier this year.

Joseph said Thursday that the newspaper’s attorney was reviewing the lawsuit. He said his reporting is accurate and that Lamothe has not responded to his questions.

Lamothe’s office said Wednesday that the newspaper was spreading false information. Joseph disputed the lawsuit’s claim that Haiti-Observateur had ignored Lamothe’s requests for a retraction.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press