- The Lagos High Court in Ikeja has postponed the defamation case brought by lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, Falz, against VeryDarkMan.
- Justice Matthias Dawodu has scheduled a hearing for February 19, 2025, to address a preliminary objection from VDM’s lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe, questioning the validity of the suit and the court’s authority to handle the matter.
The Lagos High Court in Ikeja has postponed the defamation case brought by well-known human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, Falz, against VeryDarkMan.
Justice Matthias Dawodu has scheduled a hearing for February 19, 2025, to address a preliminary objection from VDM’s lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe, questioning the validity of the suit and the court’s authority to handle the matter.
Although the Falanas and VDM did not attend, their legal representatives were present in court. Omorogbe informed the court that he had received a counter-affidavit from the Falanas’ attorney, Omotade Omotunbosun, and asked for extra time to respond. The request was not challenged, so the hearing was postponed.
The Falanas are asking for ₦500 million each in damages related to a video posted by VDM. They allege that the senior lawyer and his son received ₦10 million from Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky) to sway the justice process.
On October 14, 2024, Justice Dawodu instructed VDM to remove the supposed defamatory video and prohibited him from posting similar content until the case is heard. The court also permitted all legal documents to be served to VDM through his attorney, Deji Adeyanju.
In his initial objection, VDM contended that the Lagos court does not have jurisdiction because he lives and works in Abuja, where the alleged publication occurred. He argued that the case was brought in Lagos to seek a more favorable ruling.
The Falanas argue that the video has false claims that hurt their reputation. They point out that it is still online and continues to damage their image. They also denied the video’s claims, saying that Bobrisky never said he paid them ₦10 million in the audio.
Support Sought by the Falanas
The father and son seek the following:
1. A declaration that VDM’s Instagram publication on September 24, 2024, is defamatory.
2. ₦500 million in damages for defamation of character.
3. A perpetual injunction restraining VDM from publishing similar defamatory content.
4. A public apology on all of VDM’s social media platforms and a national newspaper.
The case continues on February 19, 2025.
