Mother of twin girls who died in Mahdia Dorm. fire sues State for $ 900M

Feb 21, 2025 News

…says was ‘coerced’ into taking $5M compensation

Kaieteur News- Valerie Carter, the mother of twin girls who died in the horrific Mahdia Dormitory fire in May 2023, has sued the State for over G$900M. Carter is seeking compensation for the death of her daughters.

According to a press release issued by attorney, Eusi Anderson, the aggrieved mother is claiming that she was coerced into accepting a paltry G$5M from the State as compensation for her daughters who died in the fire along with 18 other children.

According to Anderson, his client had approached the Court to have the GY$5M settlement agreement declared null, void and of no legal effect because of the duress, undue influence and pressure exerted on her by the Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall, SC and other named state actors by way of declarative remedies.

The lawyer said that the request to set aside the G$5M compensation agreement was granted and made way for the institution of the two G$900M actions on February 17, 2025.

However, Anderson said that he has taken note of Nandlall’s statement denying that the application filed before Justice Nigel Niles to set aside the compensation was accepted. The AG, among other things, on Thursday in a statement to the media described the woman’s action as “scandalous, vexatious, and an abuse of the process of the Court.”

However, in response to Nandlall, Anderson said that the false narrative only compounds Ms. Carter’s pain and sullies her daughters’ memory.

In addition, Anderson says he is in possession of audio and transcripts that prove otherwise.

According to him on August 30, 2024, Assistant Solicitor General, Shoshanna Lall, wrote to him on the Justice Niles action saying that she agrees that the reliefs sought in that action could be accomplished by the State treating the G$5M compensation agreement as repudiated.

“I was elated by this because it ensured I did not have to cross-examine three members of the Bar, including the leader of the Bar, about the undue influence my client alleged they exerted on her to sign a G$5M agreement, arbitrarily determined to be the value of her dead daughters’ lives. I was even happier that a Judge of the High Court would not be compelled to rule upon three lawyers allegedly exerting undue influence on woman to accept G$5M compensation for her dead daughters less than eight weeks after they died,” Anderson said.

The attorney said that despite a request by the Assistant Solicitor General to have the matter withdrawn with prejudice Anderson refused and opted to withdraw the matter without prejudice after discussions with the judge.

This decision allowed Carter to institute two claims to get “real compensation” for the death of her daughters. He explained that had the first G$5M compensation agreement not been withdrawn, the institution of the two G$900M actions would have been defeated by an agreement which stood as lawful and of legal effect touching and concerning the same issue.

According to the lawyer both of the G$900M matters are slated to be heard before Justices Gino Persaud and Simone Morris-Ramlall.

(Mother of twin girls who died in Mahdia Dorm. fire sues State for $ 900M)

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Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall, compensation, Mahdia Dormitory, Valerie Carter

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Mother of twin girls who died in Mahdia Dorm. fire sues State for $ 900M

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