NORBERT AMEFU vs. MULTIMEDIA GROUP LIMITED AND KWADWO MENSAH (ALIAS MOSHOSHO [2020]DLHC10546

Date	2020-05-13
Suit No.	SUIT NO: GJ/274/2016
Citation No.	[2020]DLHC10546

KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO J

MR. GODFRED ANIM-NYARKO FOR THE PLAINTIFF - PRESENT

MR. SAMSON LARDY ANYENINI WITH MRS. ROSELYN KALEDZI FOR THE DEFENDANTS – PRESENT

[2020]DLHC10546
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NORBERT AMEFU<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>MULTIMEDIA GROUP LIMITED
AND KWADWO MENSAH (ALIAS MOSHOSHO<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANTS)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH
COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>MR. GODFRED ANIM-NYARKO FOR THE
PLAINTIFF - PRESENT<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

MR.
SAMSON LARDY ANYENINI WITH MRS. ROSELYN KALEDZI FOR THE DEFENDANTS – PRESENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>KWEKU T.
ACKAAH-BOAFO, J<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-fareast-language:EN-CA">i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Introduction<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-fareast-language:EN-CA">:<o:p></o:p>[<a name="par1">1</a>]&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp; This defamation action challenges the content of a Morning Sports
program hosted by the 2nd Defendant on the electronic media broadcast of the
1st Defendant. &nbsp;The Plaintiff contends the Plaintiff did not use their
words gracefully. According to him he is a casualty of the words used as
weapons by the 2nd Defendant and his panel on the program which was on the
electronic media broadcast of the 1st Defendant’s radio station - ADOM FM and conducted in the Twi
language between 7:30 A.M. and 8:00 A.M. on Saturday morning November 28, 2015.
Mr. Amefu says the 2nd Defendant and his panel have defamed him. The dates the
Plaintiff complains of in his writ of summons are November 24th, 25th and 28th,
2015, though he eventually focused on the program of November 28, 2015. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[<a name="par2">2</a>]&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The Plaintiff has averred that he is the
Chairman of the Greater Accra Taekwondo Association and, also the Vice
President of the World Children Taekwondo Union. The 2nd Defendant is the host
of the 1st Defendant’s morning program known as “Morning Sports”. It is the Plaintiff’s
contention that as a host of the program, the 2nd Defendant targeted
him with his panelists for criticism without any justification and accused him
of collecting various sums of money from children for tournaments he had no
authority to organize. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[<a name="par3">3</a>]&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The Plaintiff claims that the 2nd
Defendant and his panel insinuated in the Twi language that because he had the
support of the Director General of the Ghana Sports Authority he was
misbehaving and needed to “stop his foolish acts and pass his programs through
the Ghana Taekwondo Federation”. The Plaintiff averred that the publication
made by the 2nd Defendant on the electronic media of the 1st Defendant is
malicious because he and the panel made no effort to verify the truth of their
allegation. He therefore contends that he has been defamed by the 2nd
Defendant.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[<a name="par4">4</a>]&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The Plaintiff seeks a declaration that
the publication made concerning him is defamatory. He also seeks “aggravated or
exemplary damages against the Defendants jointly and severally in the sum of
500,000 Ghana Cedis and an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the
Defendants from further publishing the said words concerning him” and cost.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[5]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Although
other defences were pleaded, the Defendant relied mainly on the defence of fair
comment, justification (i.e., truth) and the fact that the 2nd Defendant’s
comments were mat</main>