Court Strikes Out Falanas’ Defamation Suit Against VDM

AN Ikeja High Court on Tuesday, April 15, struck out the defamation suit filed against a social media celebrity and rights activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as Verydarkblackman (VDM) filled by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), and his son, Folarin, popularly known as Falz.
Falana filed the suit after VDM in a video clip, suggested that the claimants may have perversed justice, following an audio recording made by cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, otherwise called Bobrisky.
Falana and Falz, in the suit, demanded N500million each as damages over VDM’s vodeo posted on his social media platforms.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), when the case was called on Tuesday, Falana, Falz and VDM were absent in court.
But VDM’s lawyer, Niyi Alagbe, standing in for Marvin Omorogbe, informed the court that he had earlier filed an application for stay of proceeding before Justice Fimisola Azeez.
Counsel to the Falanas, Omotayo Olatunbosun, in his response, informed the court that he received the said application on Monday, April 14, about 4.15 p.m., arguing that the matter of the day was the preliminary objection, which he said was ripe for hearing, and that the new application was meant to prolong matters.
He, therefore, urged the Judge to proceed with the business of the day.
Justice Matthias Dawodu observed that the said application was not in the file, wondering why he was being troubled with the case when the substantive suit was before another court.
The Judge subsequently struck out the suit, holding that insistence on going ahead with the suit would be an academic exercise, since the substantive suit was before another judge.
“Consequently, this suit is hereby struck out,” he ruled.