Judy Austin drags Rita Edochie to court, demands N1bn over alleged defamation

Actress Judy Austin has dragged veteran actress, Rita Edochie before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over alleged defamatory statements, demanding N1 billion in damages.

Austin disclosed the development in a post on her verified Instagram, where she shared a copy of a writ of summons filed against Edochie.

The suit listed Austin as the claimant and Edochie as the defendant.

In the writ, Austin is claiming N1 billion as general damages for alleged defamation.

“The sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) only, as general damages for defamation,” the court document stated.

She is also asking the court to order Edochie to publish a full, unreserved retraction and apology in at least two widely circulated national newspapers and on her social media platforms.

The claimant is further seeking a perpetual injunction restraining Edochie, her agents and privies from further publishing or circulating the alleged defamatory statements against her.

Austin is also asking the court to direct Edochie to remove the alleged defamatory statements from all her online platforms.

She is also seeking N50 million as the cost of prosecuting the suit and 10 per cent post-judgment interest on the judgment sum until it is fully paid.

The court document showed that the suit was filed by Austin’s legal representatives, including Anozie Obinnaya Obi, SAN, alongside other counsel.

Austin accompanied the post with the words, “Enough is enough!”

The writ also requires Edochie to appear in court within the period stated in the document after it is served on her