Freetown Collective’s Lou Lyons threatens legal action against Seventh-Day Adventist church
07 January 2025
LOU LYONS, co-founder of the band Freetown Collective, has issued a pre-action protocol letter against the South Caribbean Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists for defamation following the dissemination of “misleading and damaging information” about his attendance at a church service on December 31.
Lyons alleges that after attending the Old Year's service at the Stanmore Avenue Seventh-Day Adventist Church, his photos were shared alongside false claims suggesting his involvement in the murder of special prosecutor, Randall Hector, which occurred nearby after the service.
Hector had just delivered a sermon at the service and was walking to his car with his family when a Nissan B-15 car and a black SUV pulled up.
Gunmen got out and shot him several times before escaping. Hector collapsed on the pavement and church officials took him to hospital, where he later died.
Lyons' attorney Joel Roper, in a pre-action protocol letter dated January 6, addressed Pastor Leslie Moses, president of the South Caribbean Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists. The letter said his client’s reputation as a law-abiding citizen, legal professional and member of Freetown Collective was tarnished by the reckless dissemination of his image.
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Roper said the accusations have adversely affected Lyon’s personal and professional life, jeopardising corporate sponsorship deals for the band.
He contends the church's agents acted negligently by releasing photos and false claims linking Lyons to the crime.
Roper said Lyons was a long-standing member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
“The dissemination of the images of our client and the information shared alongside it adversely affected not only my client in his own personal life but also cast a shadow over the Freetown Collective band.
“Importantly, our client and the band were in the process of closing very important deals with corporate sponsors when his images were recklessly disseminated alongside harmful misinformation.
“Consequently, those deals are now in jeopardy as there still remains a negative cloud and/or shadow over the image and likeness of our client even though he has since put out a statement that sought to rectify the initial misinformation that was spreading quickly throughout the public via social media.”
In a Facebook post immediately after the incident, Lyons identified himself as the person in the video and said, “I am Lou Lyons of the band Freetown Collective. This is my image and likeness being shared with erroneous and false information. I’m not a suspect in any ongoing investigation. Please cease and desist from further dissemination.”
Lyons is demanding an immediate public apology proportional to the harm caused, confirmation or denial of whether the church edited and released the footage.
The letter said the “adverse effects of the reckless dissemination of misinformation were so obvious” that Pastor Bray of the Stanmore Avenue Church offered a private apology. However, Lyons insists on public measures to restore his image.
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The letter gives the South Caribbean Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists 28 days to meet Lyons’ demands or face legal action.
Roper urged to resolve the matter through negotiations and out of court but affirmed readiness to pursue a defamation lawsuit if necessary.
