Renowned Jamaican attorney-at-law, Antoinette Haughton Cardenas, passed away in the United States at the age of 67, leaving behind a son and three brothers.
While some reports indicate that she had been struggling with an undisclosed illness for years, her family members have countered these reports, stating that she was in good health.
Haughton Cardenas was a prominent public figure in Jamaica, known for her strong social justice stance and for co-founding Jamaica’s now-defunct third political party, United People’s Party. Her talk show was also widely recognized for its outspoken nature during the 1990s and 2000s.
However, her reputation was tarnished in 2009 when she was accused of defrauding millions from some of her clients. Following this, she was barred from practising law in Jamaica and allegedly absconded bail, failed to appear in court, and ultimately fled to the United States, where she had been residing for 15 years.
Despite her controversial past, Haughton Cardenas remains a significant figure in Jamaica’s history, having significantly impacted social justice and politics during her career. Her passing has been met with mixed reactions, with some paying tribute to her legacy while others reflecting on the controversy surrounding her name.
