VDM Alleged Defamation: Court Strikes Out Falana’s Suit
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Tuesday struck out the defamation suit filed against popular blogger Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkBlackMan (VDM).
The suit was instituted by renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), and his son, popular musician and activist Folarin Falana, better known as Falz. The legal action followed comments and a video posted by VDM on September 24, 2024, across his social media platforms.
In separate suits, the Falanas each demanded N500 million in damages, alleging that VDM falsely claimed they received N10 million from Idris Okuneye, a.k.a Bobrisky, to obstruct justice. They asserted that the blogger knowingly published unverified and untrue statements with the intent to damage their reputation.
They also noted that the alleged defamatory content remained online and continued to harm their reputation.
However, when the matter was called on Tuesday, all parties — Femi Falana, Falz, and the defendant — were absent in court.
Counsel for the defendant, Niyi Alagbe, who held brief for Marvin Omorogbe, informed the court that a motion for a stay of proceedings had already been filed before Justice Fimisola Azeez in connection with the substantive suit.
In response, counsel for the Falanas, Omotayo Olatunbosun, confirmed receipt of the application late Monday afternoon. He argued that the preliminary objection was already scheduled for hearing and accused the defense of attempting to delay the process.
Justice Matthias Dawodu, however, stated that the application referenced was not before him and questioned why he was being asked to handle the case when the substantive matter was before another judge.
He concluded that continuing with the case would be a mere academic exercise and consequently struck out the suit.
“Consequently, this suit is hereby struck out,” Justice Dawodu ruled.
