Court Adjourns Femi Falana and Son’s N1bn Defamation Suit Against VeryDarkBlackMan

A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has adjourned the N1 billion defamation suit filed by human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, Folarin, known as Falz, against social media influencer Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkBlackMan. The case has been adjourned to February 19, 2025, for the hearing of a preliminary objection raised by the defendant.

VeryDarkBlackMan’s lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe, filed the objection, challenging the competence of the suit and the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case. The plaintiffs, Femi and Folarin Falana, had filed the defamation suit, demanding N500 million each in damages after VeryDarkBlackMan posted a video on his social media platforms. In the video, he claimed that the Falanas received N10 million from controversial figure Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky, to interfere with the course of justice.

In an earlier ruling, Justice Matthias Dawodu had ordered the removal of the defamatory video and comments, instructing the social media influencer to refrain from publishing any further defamatory content against the father and son. The court also ordered that all legal documents be served on VeryDarkBlackMan through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju.

At Thursday’s proceedings, Omorogbe informed the court that he had received the plaintiffs’ counter-affidavit against the preliminary objection only a day earlier and needed more time to respond. The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Omotade Omotunbosun, did not object to the request for an adjournment.

Justice Dawodu, after considering the submissions, adjourned the case to February 19, 2025, for further hearing.

In his application, VeryDarkBlackMan contends that the court does not have the territorial jurisdiction to hear the case, as he is based in Abuja and the alleged defamatory video was posted there. Omorogbe further argued that the suit was filed in Lagos to potentially benefit from a more favorable ruling, accusing the claimants of forum shopping.

The Falanas maintain that the defendant knowingly published false and unverified statements that damaged their reputations, despite being aware of their inaccuracy. The defamatory video remains on VeryDarkBlackMan’s social media pages, continuing to harm the plaintiffs’ public image.

The plaintiffs are seeking N500 million each in damages, a perpetual injunction to prevent further defamatory publications, and a public apology from the defendant to be published on all his social media platforms and in a national newspaper.