Shatta Wale pleads for out-of-court settlement

Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr

Dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale, otherwise known as Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr, has made a plea for an out-of-court settlement in a GH¢10 million defamatory suit brought against him by an event organising company, Charter House.

Charter House and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Iyiola Ayoade, dragged Shatta Wale to court on October 2, 2014 for defamation.

Further to that, counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr Egbert Faibille Jnr, filed a motion for interlocutory injunction which prayed the court to restrain the defendant from further uploading and or making defamatory comments about his client.

At the Fast Track High Court’s hearing in Accra yesterday, counsel for the musician announced to the court that his client would prefer an out-of-court settlement, but Mr Faibille opposed the move, on the grounds that the defendant had not shown any sign of remorse to warrant the settlement.

Opposition to out-of-court settlement

Admitting that the defence team had last Friday written a letter asking for an out-of-court settlement, Mr Faibille argued that Shatta Wale had, after the institution of the suit against him, gone ahead to cause the publication of more defamatory materials on his Facebook page.

That attitude, according to counsel, was a clear indication that the defendant had not repented in any way.

Shatta Wale’s new video sought to portray that the plaintiffs filed the suit because they were cash-strapped.

Restraining order 

Following counsel’s submissions, the court, presided over by Ms Naa Adoley Azu, granted Mr Faibille’s motion for interlocutory injunction and subsequently restrained Shatta Wale and his agents from further publishing defamatory materials about the plaintiffs.

The court also urged the defence team to take steps to concretise their overtures for an out-of-court settlement.

It also directed it to file its defence in the event talks for the settlement failed.

Background

Charter House and Mr Ayoade took legal action after Shatta Wale had accused them of being corrupt and thoughtless in his videos.

The videos also warned the plaintiffs to desist from denying musicians from other regions of Ghana the needed recognition.

Reliefs being sought

A writ of summons accompanying the suit has prayed the court to order the defendant to render an unqualified apology and retract each of the four separate videos.

The plaintiffs further urged the court to allow them to approve separate videos of the said retraction, which they said should remain on the defendant’s Facebook wall for a month.

They are also praying the court to order Shatta Wale to send the videos containing the said apologies to the media houses and online portals that aired the defamatory videos complained of, at his own expense.

Perpetual injunction

Further to that, the plaintiffs are seeking an order for perpetual injunction restraining Shatta Wale from publishing defamatory materials in future.

Shatta Wale was absent in court but was represented by his father. 

Hearing continues on November 3, 2014.