A Puerto Rico court has rejected an attempt to silence a prison-rights organization, marking a significant win for free expression and public oversight of conditions inside the island’s correctional system. Judge Hamed Santaella Carlo of the Ponce Trial Court dismissed Carolina Catering Corp.'s request for a preliminary injunction and declaratory judgment against the Defensoría de los Derechos Carcelarios (DDC), which is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico.
The company, a private contractor responsible for food services in Puerto Rico’s prisons, sued the DDC and its president, Dallie Cruz Ruiz, in July after the organization published social-media posts alleging deficiencies in the meals provided to incarcerated people. The lawsuit sought damages of at least $1 million and asked the court to order the removal of the posts, halt any further publication, and force the defendants to issue a public retraction.
The court found that granting such an order would have a chilling effect on the press, media organizations, and the public’s ability to speak freely about matters of public concern. Fermín Arraiza Navas, legal director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico, said the decision reinforces core constitutional protections, while Rafael Rodríguez Rivera, director of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico’s Legal Aid Clinic, emphasized the broader implications of the case.