Susan Rodrigues sues Travis Chase for $20M over Facebook allegations of corruption

…Chase reportedly hiding from High Court Marshals

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Susan Rodrigues has filed a multi-million dollar libel lawsuit in the High Court against HGPTV reporter Travis Chase over a series of Facebook publications made in early January 2026.
In a Statement of Claim filed on January 29, 2026, Rodrigues seeks damages exceeding $20 million, as well as injunctive relief, a public apology, removal of the disputed posts, and aggravated and exemplary damages. The case is before the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Guyana, Civil Jurisdiction, Regular Division.

Rodrigues alleges that Chase published three defamatory statements on January 5 and 6, 2026, on Facebook pages operated under the names “Travis Chase” and “HGPTV News”. The publications referenced allegations of corruption and unexplained wealth in connection with the Minister, including claims relating to the purchase of a residential property in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The claim states that the posts repeated allegations originally made by the United States indicted leader of WIN, Azruddin Mohamed, and included documents, images of properties, and photographs of Rodrigues. The Minister contends that the publications falsely suggested she engaged in corrupt practices as a public official and improperly obtained funds to acquire overseas property.
Rodrigues, sitting Cabinet Minister since August 2020 and former Minister of Housing and Water between 2015 and 2020, maintains that the allegations are false and were published despite her having issued public statements clarifying and refuting the claims prior to the Facebook posts. The lawsuit asserts that Chase failed to give fair or reasonable prominence to her responses and relied on information that had already been publicly addressed.
The Statement of Claim further alleges that the publications conveyed, by implication and innuendo, that Rodrigues was dishonest, abused public office, and misled the public. It argues that the repeated nature of the posts created a sustained narrative of wrongdoing, causing serious harm to her reputation.
Rodrigues claims the harm was aggravated by her public office, the size of Chase’s online following – estimated at approximately 297,000 followers – and the continued availability of the posts online. The lawsuit also alleges that Chase acted with malice or reckless disregard for the truth and failed to take reasonable steps to verify the accuracy of the allegations or seek clarification before publication.
Among the relief sought are court orders requiring the immediate removal of the statements from Facebook and any other platforms, an injunction restraining further publication of similar statements, and a public apology in terms to be agreed by Rodrigues.
Chase, who is identified in the filings as a reporter and the operator of the relevant Facebook pages, has reportedly been hiding from High Court marshals every time they attempted to serve him. After being served with the Statement of Claim, Chase has 28 days to file a defence in accordance with the Civil Procedure Rules.