Maloney gets extension to re-file in ‘vaccine scam’ lawsuit

Local developer Mark Maloney and his company Radical Investments Limited have been given more time by a Florida District Court to try to avoid a possible dismissal of his lawsuit against an American firm he claims failed to deliver one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as part of a regional bulk-purchasing arrangement for Barbados, St Lucia and the Bahamas.

On Monday, September 20, Florida Southern District Court Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that “before the court may assess whether there is diversity jurisdiction,” Radical Investments must submit allegations or proof detailing the citizenship of each of the defendants being sued including Good Vibrations Entertainment.

With regards to diversity jurisdiction, Federal district courts do not have jurisdiction of an action “between citizens of a state and citizens or subjects of a foreign state who are lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States and are domiciled in the same state.”

According to the PACER Monitor, the official website of the United States government that provides Public Access to Court Electronic Records, Maloney’s company had been given until last Friday to respond or face the likelihood of his case being thrown out.

On the very day of the deadline, the company filed a motion asking the court for an extension until October 8.

However, on Sunday, September 26, Judge Cannon signed a paperless order granting the plaintiff an extension to file the amended complaint which must now be lodged on or before September 29, clarifying the citizenship of each defendant.

Radical Investments Limited is suing Good Vibrations Entertainment LLC, the purported supplier of the vaccines and a number of other businesses and individuals involved in the original attempt to buy the vaccines. The order for the jabs was never fulfilled, leaving the plaintiff millions of dollars out-of-pocket.

Radical Investments claims in its court papers that it was deceived and lured into an elaborate scam to advance the sum of US$10.2 million for one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine which never materialized.

But in an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY last Thursday via telephone, Chief Executive Officer of Good Vibrations Entertainment Alex Moore declared that Maloney should tell the full story about the vaccine transaction and pledged to file a “huge” countersuit against the Barbadian businessman by Monday at the latest.

Moore insisted that his company was a facilitator and not a supplier of vaccines. (emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb)