Glenn Webster Served With Defamation Lawsuit In Connection With April Republican Melee

ST. CROIX — The law office of Yohana Manning (Manning Legal) issued a press release on Monday making known that it had served St. Croix Board of Elections member Glenn Webster, above, with a defamation lawsuit on September 20 at a board meeting here, in connection with a melee that occurred in April, where it was alleged that Gwendolyn Brady, who had won a seat as a delegate in the Republican caucus earlier this year but resigned after the April scuffle, was slammed against a wall and thrown on the floor.

Mr. Webster is among eight persons that Mr. Manning’s client Frederik Espinosa — who Republicans, including former party chairman Herbert Schoenbohm, allege assaulted Ms. Brady — is suing. Mr. Espinosa is alleging civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting and defamation.

“Webster is running for reelection despite repeated outrageous public comments about others including those he serves with on the Board of Elections, which caused him to be suspended from two Board of Elections meetings earlier this year,” reads the release, referring to a board meeting where Mr. Webster called St. Croix Board Chairwoman Lilliana Belardo de O’Neal a whore and prostitute. Mr. Webster was suspended for two consecutive Joint Board of Elections meeting following the debacle.

Video: Virgin Islands Republicans’ April Fracas

According to Monday’s release, Mr. Espinosa “intends to prove that Glenn Webster and others thereafter falsely swore out identical affidavits claiming that plaintiff assaulted Gwendolyn Hall Brady.” It added that “due to the considerable media circulation of the plaintiff’s alleged violent actions, plaintiff has faced and will continue to face a loss of reputation which is the result of years of hard work.”

The release also includes a police report that says Ms. Brady, current director of Banking and Insurance in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, assaulted stateside Republican Denis Lennox, after Mr. Lennox refused to stop recording the proceedings of a meeting that John Canegata said would not be recorded in any fashion.

Yet Mr. Lennox, who said he was appointed as a “parliamentarian” by Mr. Canegata, then turned his camera in Ms. Brady’s direction, causing an immediately reaction from Ms. Brady, who fiercely pushed away the camera. The video went dead, failing to show what happened next.  Republican super delegate and former V.I. senator Holland Redfield and Mr. Schoenbohm maintained at the time that Ms. Brady was “slammed against the wall,” with Mr. Schoenbohm going a bit further stating that Ms. Brady was also “thrown to the floor because she objected to the gestapo-like tactics of the VI Chairman John Canegata.”

But in the police report, Ms. Brady admitted to grabbing the cellphone of Mr. Lennox and throwing it at him, which bruised his forehead. Officer David Stevens, who attended to the case, said he saw the bruise on Mr. Lennox’s forehead. Ms. Brady, however, would later refute the account, according to the report, stating afterward that she was the one who had been assaulted by Mr. Lennox.

The original complaint, seen here,  includes as defendants John Yob, Warren Cole, Noel Loftus, Tanya Marie Singh, Elissa Runyon, Fred Vialet, Jr., and Ava Bourdan.

Feature image credit: (Ernice Gilbert, VIC)