First Rock threatens legal action against PNP's Julian Robinson over 'false, defamatory' post

Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson is facing the threat of legal action from First Rock Real Estate Investments Limited, which has accused him of defamation over a June 4 social media post.

However, Robinson insists he has sufficiently dealt with the issue by apologising and promptly removing the post with a "sole error".

In a letter dated June 11, 2025, law firm Dabdoub, Dabdoub & Co., representing First Rock, charged that Robinson’s post was factually incorrect and damaged the company's reputation.

“These statements are categorically false,” the law firm wrote.

“Our client has not been placed in receivership by Sagicor [Bank], nor is there any indication that taxpayer funds are at risk due to investments in First Rock.”

The attorneys argued that Robinson’s comments implied “negligent and incompetent leadership,” “reckless risk taking with investor funds,” and that First Rock is “a failed business.”

They described the publication as “dishonest, inaccurate and contrary to the facts,” and asserted it was “done maliciously with the intention of bringing our client into disrepute.”

Noting the potential influence of Robinson’s role, the letter continued: “You will further appreciate that as Opposition Spokesman on Finance your statements carry great weight and at all times affect investors’ decisions and analyses when investing in companies such as our client.”

First Rock’s attorneys also claimed that the damage was not merely reputational, but “materially affect[ed] our client's commercial interests, both locally and internationally, including the disruption of existing business relationships and the loss of potential opportunities.”

The company demanded Robinson air a full apology, provide a written undertaking not to repeat the statements, and pay a “substantial sum” in damages.

It gave a deadline of June 12 for a response.

In a June 12 response through his attorneys Hylton Powell, Robinson rejected First Rock’s demands.

The letter acknowledged that Robinson had made a "sole error" which was “immediately” corrected.

His lawyers noted that he published an apology not only on social media but also through “various media outlets to a much wider audience.”

“The initial post was also deleted and removed from all platforms to which it had been posted,” the letter added.

“In addition to the public apology, our client also privately provided your client with his apology and confirmation that the original post had been deleted.”

Robinson also pushed back against claims of malice or political calculation: “Our client denies your claims that he maliciously made the post or published it in a manner that was deliberately misleading. Our client also denies that the post was calculated to bring political benefit to himself as alleged or at all.”

Robinson also defended his broader remarks as “fair comment on a matter of significant public interest,” noting that “your client is majority owned by Government entities which invested significant sums of public funds to acquire shares in your client. These are indisputable facts.”

"In the circumstances, our client unequivocally rejects your client’s claims for compensation and a further apology… You may be assured that any such proceedings will be robustly defended," the law firm said.

The legal dispute comes amid heightened scrutiny of First Rock’s operations, following Sagicor Bank’s decision to foreclose on the company’s high-end Hambani Estate residential development in St Andrew.

The bank said it took possession after “months of good-faith efforts to reach a fair and sustainable resolution.”

While the receivership applies specifically to the Hambani lands, the broader company has not been placed into receivership.

The issue has sparked political fire.

Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley, chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party’s communication taskforce, blasted Robinson’s conduct as “shameful and disappointing but not surprising,” accusing the Opposition of a pattern of making “misleading allegations without any care for accuracy and reputations they damage.”

Three government entities, the National Insurance Fund, Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA), and the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), are listed among First Rock's 10 largest shareholders.

The NMIA and the AAJ's share purchases worth US$3 million between 2019 and 2020 were the subject of an adverse report by the Integrity Commission.

Former Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke told Parliament in July 2021 that the investments violated government regulations.

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