Judge asks Shatta Wale and Bulldog to settle defamation case out of court
An Accra High Court presided over by Justice Joseph Adu Agyemang Owusu has asked Dancehall artist, Charles Nii Armah Mensah (Shatta Wale) and his former manager, Lawrence Asiamah Hanson (Bulldog) to settle their dispute out of court.
The court on the 7th of March, 2023 granted the request of Lawyer for the plaintiff, Justice Srem-Sai for the matter to be settled out of court.
The two who made an appearance in court yesterday were spotted in viral images shaking hands in the company of their counsels.
According to the lawyer for Bulldog, the two parties have failed to file their witness statement as directed by the Court. This he said was due to the fact that the parties involved have begun negotiations for a settlement
“The case is subject to settlement. We wish to pray for one more adjournment to attempt a settlement and depending on the outcome we may apply formally for an extension of time to file our witness statement,” counsel for Bulldog told the court.
Bulldog through his lawyers is suing his former artiste, Shatta Wale for malicious statements and defamation against his character.
“The series of publication that the Defendant has made and continues to make about the Plaintiff are actuated by plain malice,” court documents revealed.
According to the writ filed at the Accra High Court, the plaintiff wants the court to grant him “general damages for defamation, special damages for defamation, punitive damages for the malicious publication of falsehood against the plaintiff, cost, and any other orders or remedies that the Court may deem fit.”
Reliefs
The plaintiff is seeking the following reliefs
1.A declaration of the Court that the series of publications made by the Defendant as particularised in the Statement of Claim are defamatory to the Plaintiff.
- A declaration of the Court that the series of publications made by the Defendant in the Statement of Claim are malicious.
- An order of the Court directed at the Defendant to on all his social media pages or accounts, make a publication on seven (7) consecutive days of an unqualified retraction of and unreserved apology for the defamatory words that the Defendant has published about the Plaintiff, such retraction and apology to be vetted and approved by the Plaintiff’s lawyers.
- An order of the Court for perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant, his agents, workmen, assigns and servants from publishing or further publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.
- General damages for defamation.
- Special damages for defamation.
- Punitive damages for malicious publication of falsehood against the Plaintiff.
- Cost, and
- Any other orders or remedies that the Court may deem fit.
Background
Shatta Wale on the 2nd of November 2022 took to social media and threatened to reveal dirty secrets connecting Bulldog to the death of the former manager of Kwaw Kesse, Fennec Okyere.
The death of Fennec Okeyere who was murdered in cold blood by unknown persons on the 13th of March, 2014 at his Manet Gardens home at the age of 31 remains unsolved till this day.
Bulldog who was involved in several scuffles with the late artist manager was picked by the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) of the Ghana Police to help in investigations as a prime suspect.
On the advice of the Attorney-General in 2017, the court acquitted and discharged Bulldog for lack of evidence.
source: 3news
