Popcaan’s Photo Dump With Lawyer Bert Samuels Is Pure Celebration
Popcaan has returned to Jamaica and is in a celebratory mood as he checked in with his lawyer Bert Samuels, who had filed a defamation lawsuit against the Attorney General and Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on the Risky deejay’s behalf while he was away in the UK.
In an Instagram post today, the 34-year-old shared a photo dump with Samuels and previewed a new track, seemingly titled Cocaine Money, that addresses an allegedly defamatory JCF press release that claimed Popcaan was arrested for cocaine possession in Barbados.
“Me and my lawyer @samuels.bert discussing matters at hand. #chubble #COCAINEMONEY,” he wrote in the caption.
The dump also included a video clip of Poppy and his lawyer dancing, as the unreleased track played in the background. “Cocaine money, cocaine money, the haters still seh a cocaine money, JCF still seh a cocaine money, cocaine money, cocaine money,” he sang.
Samuels, of the law firm Knight, Junor & Samuels, is seen wearing Popcaan’s oversized “876 Gud” chain and throwing up the Unruly Boss’ hand gesture of the index and pinky fingers, with a wide smile.
The JCF had issued the press release on July 6, in an attempt to set the record straight about Popcaan’s immigration woes in the UK. The release attributed the woes to an Interpol green notice alerting authorities to Popcaan’s alleged arrest for cocaine possession in 2011, and a conviction for marijuana possession in 2009, both in Barbados. However, Popcaan’s lawyers contend that the deejay has no criminal record in Barbados because the 2009 conviction was expunged and because the alleged 2011 arrest was false and “fictitious.”
The defamation lawsuit, which was filed on July 8, claimed that the press release was “calculated and/or intended” to injure, degrade, and/or malign Popcaan, by “exposing him to hatred, contempt, and ridicule.”
The lawsuit was later amended to include an additional claim that Popcaan’s constitutional right to privacy was breached when JCF disclosed the expunged conviction for marijuana.
The suit is seeking general damages, damages for defamation, interest, legal costs, and any further relief that the Court may deem fit.
According to Samuels, if Popcaan is successful in his lawsuit against the Attorney General and Government of Jamaica, the island’s taxpayers might end up paying the largest ever award for damages among cases of its kind.
“I would think this may be one of the biggest libel cases that ever been filed in Jamaica,” Samuels told the media at a press conference on July 8.
“It is the taxpayers, who will have to pay out multi-million dollars in compensation to Popcaan, if we succeed in this claim. And we are confident we will succeed,” he added.
When asked for the dollar figure that he expected from the court, Samuels said that’s for the judge to determine. “When you’re suing for general damages or damages, you don’t put a dollar figure. He [the Judge] will look at former cases,” he explained.
In the meantime, there’s no word on when the previewed track might be released.
Popcaan, who recently signed to UK-based management company Since 93′, is gearing up to release his fifth studio album, Great Is He, sometime this year.
Last week, his collaboration with Burna Boy, titled Toni-Ann Singh, entered the US Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart at No. 12.