ACE ANAN ANKOMAH vs. KEVIN EKOW BAIDOO TAYLOR [2020]DLHC10549

Date	2020-02-24
Suit No.	SUIT NO: GJ/1692/2019
Citation No.	[2020]DLHC10549

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO

NICOLE MARIE POKU FOR MR. THADDEUS SORY FOR THE PLAINTIFF - PRESENT DEFENDANTS- NOT REPRESENTED

[2020]DLHC10549
																																						<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" >ACE ANAN ANKOMAH<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>KEVIN EKOW BAIDOO TAYLOR<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;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT
NO: GJ/1692/2019 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE:
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">24TH FEBRUARY, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>NICOLE MARIE POKU FOR MR. THADDEUS SORY
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;">

DEFENDANTS-
NOT REPRESENTED<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE KWEKU T. ACKAAH-BOAFO<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-ansi-language:EN-CA;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-ansi-language:
EN-CA;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA">:<o:p></o:p>[1]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
Internet has sparked a communication revolution in postmodern society. It
offers society great opportunities for awareness creation and self-expression,
all necessary especially in democratic societies which are reliant on informed
citizen participation. It has become a useful research tool for many people
including those in academia, journalism and law. &nbsp;The Internet is a communication medium which seemingly
has no geographical boundaries<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Gen_Jur_Court/Aaa.kab.JUDGEMENT.Ace%20Anan%20ANKOMAH%20v%20Ekow%20Baidoo%20%20%20TAYLOR.Anor.2020.Final.Review%20(2020_07_22%2015_08_36%20UTC).docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a>.
It is said to have democratized communication technological abridgment of time
and space, placing power in the hands of ordinary citizens to disseminate
information across space and preserve same in time.<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Gen_Jur_Court/Aaa.kab.JUDGEMENT.Ace%20Anan%20ANKOMAH%20v%20Ekow%20Baidoo%20%20%20TAYLOR.Anor.2020.Final.Review%20(2020_07_22%2015_08_36%20UTC).docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a>
Undoubtedly, this accessible medium of communication has expanded the
boundaries of free speech and self-expression through the availability of
applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Instagram, Flickr etcetera.
Unfortunately, accessibility has not translated into responsibility and as with
other media which preceded the Internet including print, radio and television, the
Internet has also become a medium for people to disseminate unsubstantiated information
under the guise of commenting about fellow citizens or public figures. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[2]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To
put it differently, for <span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">those who
wish to engage in cyber-libel and/or defame others, the<span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">
Internet medium provides an
easily accessible platform to do so. So prevalent has this become that some
scholars define contemporary times as being post-truth or post-fact with the
term “fake news” becoming a buzzword<a href="file:///C:/Users/aggie/Desktop/2020-21/Gen_Jur_Court/Aaa.kab.JUDGEMENT.Ace%20Anan%20ANKOMAH%20v%20Ekow%20Baidoo%20%20%20TAYLOR.Anor.2020.Final.Review%20(2020_07_22%2015_08_36%20UTC).docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title="">[3]</a>, one in which “truth” is not verifiable fact but rather the repetition of narrative that
appeals to emotion instead of reasoning, often facilitated by a media ecosystem
dominated by the Internet and social media. This
unfortunate aspect of the use of the Internet is what has led to this
defamatory law suit. Defamation is therefore the centerpiece of these judicial
proceedings.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[3]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbs</main>