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VDM vs Falanas: "Court fines VDM for begging that the case be dismissed", Comedian Deeone
- In late 2024, prominent human rights advocate Femi Falana together with his son, musician and lawyer Folarin Falana , initiated a ₦1 billion defamation lawsuit against social media personality VeryDarkMan in a Lagos High Court.
- The suit arose after VeryDarkMan posted a viral video on September 24, 2024, alleging the Falanas accepted bribes to influence judicial outcomes involving Bobrisky, claims the Falanas denied as defamatory and malicious.
- VeryDarkMan's legal team challenged the Lagos court's jurisdiction, claiming the acts occurred outside Lagos, but Justice Fimisola Azeez dismissed the objections and ordered him to file a defence by July 8, 2025.
- The court imposed a N200,000 cost penalty on VeryDarkMan, awarding N100,000 each to Femi Falana and his son, and ordered the influencer to submit a formal defence addressing the core defamation allegations, highlighting the importance of the ongoing legal proceedings.
- This case highlights tensions between social media influence and defamation law in Nigeria, with potential to set precedent on holding digital personalities legally accountable for reputational harm to public figures.
This story is only covered by news sources that have yet to be evaluated by the independent media monitoring agencies we use to assess the quality and reliability of news outlets on our platform. Learn more here.13 Articles
13 Articles
Court Fines VeryDarkMan ₦200,000 in Falana Defamation Suit
By Lizzy Chirkpi A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has ordered acclaimed social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to pay a fine of ₦200,000. The ruling which was delivered on Tuesday, 20 May 2025 came after the court dismissed his preliminary objections to a ₦1 billion defamation suit filed against him by renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, music star Folarin Falana (Falz). Just…
Justice Prevails in Falana, Falz Defamation Case with ₦200,000 Fine
In a landmark ruling, a Lagos High Court has resolved a defamation case involving prominent lawyer Femi Falana and his son, musician Folarin Falana (Falz), by fining social media influencer Martins Otse, known as Verydarkman, ₦200,000. The decision underscores the importance of responsible communication and sets a positive precedent for accountability in public discourse.The case stemmed from a September 2024 social media post by Verydarkman, wh…
Court dismisses VeryDarkMan’s objection in Falana, Falz’ defamation suit - Newsy People
Court dismisses VeryDarkMan’s objection in Falana, Falz’ defamation suit. Justice F. Afeez of a Lagos High Court has dismissed the preliminary objections by social critic, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), in the N1 billion defamation suit instituted against him by activist and lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, and his son, music artiste, Folarin Falana, also known as Falz. Vanguard reports that while ruling on the objec…
Court Rejects VeryDarkMan’s Objection To Falana’s Lawsuit, Orders Him To Pay ₦200,000
A Lagos High Court in Ikeja has thrown out the objections raised by social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), in a ₦1 billion defamation case filed against him by popular lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, musician and activist Folarin Falana, also known as Falz. On Tuesday, Justice F.A. […]
Alleged Defamation: Court Dismisses VDM’s Objection Against Falana’s Suit, Imposes ₦200,000 Fine - Latest Nigerian News and Entertainment
A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has ordered a social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM) to pay the sum of ₦200, 000 as fine after dismissing his preliminary objections to the ₦1 billion defamation suit instituted against him by human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, music […]
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