Ace Ankomah
An Accra high court, presided over by Kweku T Ackaah-Boafo, yesterday ordered social media commentator Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor to pay Ace Anan Ankomah, a private legal practitioner, a total sum of GH¢2.95 million in damages.
This follows a suit brought before the court by Mr Ankomah against Kevin Taylor and his firm, Loud Silence Media, for unwarranted statements made against his reputation.
Mr Taylor, in the video posted on his Facebook page on or about July 24 2019, titled “NAM 1and Matters Arising (Part 2)”, had the photograph of Mr Ankomah attached, and made unsubstantiated claims against the lawyer.
The private legal practitioner demanded GH¢10 million as damages.
Judgement
The court in its judgement ordered Mr Taylor, who is based in the United States to pay the damages for defamatory comments made on his social media programme dubbed “With All Due Respect”.
“Mr. Taylor is ordered and enjoined from dissemination, posting on the Internet, distributing or publishing in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, statements or comments about Mr. Ace Anan Ankomah. This includes statements or comments which refer to the video posted in July 2019 in regards to the Plaintiff by name, depiction or description,” the judge ruled.
The court also ordered Kevin Taylor to retract the video posted on July 23 and 24 2019 and issue an apology to the plaintiff on their Facebook walls within 14 days after they are served with a copy of the judgment.
Also a mandatory injunction shall be issue requiring Kevin Ekow Taylor and the Loud Silence Media to remove the defamatory video, statements, comments, and depictions from any internet site on which they have posted them and any links to those sites within 14 days after they are served with a copy the judgment.
Breakdown of cost
The breakdown of the damages are general damages of GH¢2,000,000, aggravated damages of GH¢500,000, and exemplary damages of GH¢400,000.
According to the judge, Mr Taylor’s comments were uncalled for and that numerous requests by Mr Ankomah for him (Kevin Taylor) to substantiate his allegations were not yielded to.
The court held that it had jurisdiction in the matter, explaining that although the defendants are outside Ghana, the defamatory matter was intended to be shared in Ghana, received considerable interest in Ghana, was downloaded in Ghana where the plaintiff has ties, and that injury to the plaintiff in Ghana was foreseeable.
Total disregard
The court said that the defendants, through their conduct, showed a total disregard for the judicial process and the plaintiff.
“Their conduct from the beginning was defamatory and continue to be so as they have failed to retract the published video and/or render any apology to the Plaintiff,” it held.
