Mercy Chinwo sues VDM N1.1 billion over alleged defamatory statements

Gospel singer Mercy Chinwo has taken authorized motion in opposition to social media critic Martins Otse, popularly generally known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).

She is submitting a lawsuit demanding N1.1 billion in damages over alleged defamatory statements in opposition to her on social media.

The lawsuit, dated 3 March 2025, was filed earlier than the Excessive Courtroom of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja and made obtainable to PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday by Mercy’s authorized workforce, Legislation Hall.

The Writ of Summons doc accuses VDM of creating “libellous, malicious, spiteful, malevolent, and grossly defamatory statements that impugn the picture and character” of the singer.

This newspaper reported that allegations first stemmed from a public dispute between Mercy and her former report label boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also called EeZee Tee.

VDM’s accusations

In a sequence of Instagram posts through the heated case in February, VDM accused Mercy of secretly accumulating cost from performances with out remitting the funds to her former label, EeZee Conceptz. The web critic additional alleged that she violated contractual agreements earlier than parting methods with the label.

Based on Mercy’s lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi of Legislation Hall, who filed the writ, the social media critic had no direct involvement within the dispute however nonetheless offered the singer in a dangerous and biased method.

“The claimant avers that she has neither had any type of relationship with the defendant nor was the defendant concerned within the concern between the claimant and EeZee Tee in any materials explicit,” Mr Olajengbesi acknowledged within the doc.

“The claimant avers that the statements made by the defendant within the movies he revealed on his Instagram web page gave the misunderstanding that he was personally concerned within the matter. Nonetheless, these statements weren’t solely false but additionally damning and injurious to the claimant’s public picture and fame.”

Authorized Calls for

Additional, within the lawsuit in opposition to a social media commentator, the plaintiff (Mercy) is in search of substantial reduction for alleged defamation, together with financial compensation and public retractions.

Based on the authorized paperwork, Mercy is demanding “an order directing the defendant to take away the defamatory posts from all his social media platforms and compelling the defendant to retract the defamatory statements on all his social media platforms and in 4 nationwide newspapers.

Moreover, the claimant calls for an order instructing the defendant to “concern an unreserved apology, which have to be revealed in 4 nationwide newspapers for 14 consecutive days.”

Concerning monetary compensation, the claimant seeks “N1 billion as basic damages for defamation and N100 million as punitive and aggravated damages for the defamatory statements.”

Moreover, the claimant requests “N25 million to cowl the price of the go well with.” The lawsuit additionally calls for that the defendant “pay 10 per cent curiosity each year on the judgment sum till full cost is made.”

Extra Damages

The lawsuit explicitly cites statements made by VDM on a number of events—2nd, third, 4th, fifth, twelfth, and seventeenth February 2025—which Mercy’s authorized workforce claims have been false and malicious.

Amongst these, VDM alleged that the singer “was going behind the report label to gather exhibits and never remitting cash”, an accusation that, in keeping with the go well with, is “baseless and aimed toward tarnishing the fame of a revered gospel artiste.”

Moreover, the go well with states that VDM falsely implicated Mercy within the detention of music government EeZee Tee by the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC).

The authorized submitting described this as “a deliberate and reckless try to hyperlink the plaintiff to an incident she had no involvement in, thereby subjecting her to public ridicule, emotional misery, and reputational harm.”

Mercy’s authorized representatives argue that these claims have induced “immeasurable hurt to her profession, private life, and standing throughout the gospel music neighborhood,” warranting the substantial compensation sought.

READ ALSO: VDM: ‘I wasn’t fired from Sincere Bunch, gained’t trade phrases with critics’ – Nedu

The authorized workforce famous that the general public apology and retractions in nationwide newspapers are essential to “mitigate the harm and forestall additional hurt brought on by the vast circulation of those false allegations.”

Background

The authorized battle between Mercy and EeZee Tee started following her exit from EeZee Conceptz, the place she had been signed beneath a 50/50 gross revenue-sharing settlement. Mercy accused EeZee of withholding royalties amounting to $345,000 and making a poisonous work surroundings.

The report label boss denied the allegations, claiming Mercy did not remit funds from her performances. He known as for an impartial audit of the monetary transactions.

On 17 February, a Federal Excessive Courtroom in Lagos upheld the arrest warrant in opposition to Mr Onyedikachukwu over alleged fraudulent conversion. The case has been adjourned till 6 March for his arraignment.

The EFCC initially froze EeZee Tee’s domiciliary account and detained him for 9 days. Nonetheless, the fee later withdrew the arrest warrant, acknowledging that the matter was a contractual dispute quite than a legal case. Each events have reportedly begun negotiations for an out-of-court settlement, with their authorized representatives partaking in discussions to resolve the dispute amicably.