NewStats: 3,261,368 , 8,173,808 topics. Date: Thursday, 29 May 2025 at 03:04 AM 636p9

The pastor had said Arise TV's "false and offensive broadcast" was aired and disseminated to a global audience through the internet.

Nigerian broadcaster Arise TV has won a defamation suit brought against it in the United States by a Nigerian pastor, Adetunmbi Adewami.

The US District Court in Maryland dismissed the suit on Tuesday, holding that it lacked jurisdiction over the television station.

Judge Peter Messite held that the fact that the news article complained of by the plaintiff was accessible through the internet in Maryland did not automatically empower the court to hear the matter.

He maintained that the defendant, Arise TV, must have sufficient with Maryland to activate the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.

“Merely broadcasting a news article that became accessible on the internet in the state is not sufficient to show a defendant’s own s with the state,” Mr Massite ruled.

Plaintiff’s grievance

The lead pastor of Christ Royal Assembly for All Nations International, headquartered in Maryland, USA, filed the case against Arise TV, through its parent company, Arise Media Inc.(Nigeria), on 20 April 2023.

He alleged in the suit that a news article, titled, ‘Pastor charges N310k for heaven’, which Arise TV aired and published on the internet on 27 April 2022, caused him harm and resulted in “severe and serious emotional distress.”

He said the article falsely used his picture and maliciously claimed that he charged congregants N310,000 to enable them to fly to heaven.

The pastor said this “false and offensive broadcast” was aired and disseminated to a global audience through the internet and to the thousands of people who live in Maryland.

For this reason, Mr Adewami said the circulation of that broadcast damaged his reputation as a “cleric, pastor, and Christian missionary” to the point that he lost congregation .

He further claimed that this reputational harm resulted in “severe and serious emotional distress” which he experienced in the state of Maryland.

He said the online publication by Arise TV amounted to “both libel and libel per se, false light invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress (both intentional and negligent), and common-law misappropriation” of his image and likeness.

Call for default judgement

Court documents show that Arise TV was served with the complaint on 9 May 2023, and proof of service was filed with the court by 15 June 2023, as Arise TV did not respond within the requisite period.

On 1 July 2023, Mr Adewami moved for “entry of default” judgement against Arise TV. Two months later, in September, the clerk of the court issued an order of default against Arise TV.

Court’s findings

After reviewing the submitted materials, the court found that no hearing was necessary and, therefore, the case must be “dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.”

“Accordingly, the motion for default judgement is moot,” the court ruled, implying that the motion was not worth considering.

The court held that “any judgement entered against a defendant over whom the court does not have personal jurisdiction is void.”

The court concluded that it lacked jurisdiction over Arise TV because Arise is not incorporated in Maryland and has no explicit affiliation with Maryland.

Having reviewed the broadcast, which is accessible online, the court found that Arise TV did not broadcast the news article about Mr Adewami with the intent to target the Maryland audience.

“The mere fact that information is available on the internet is not sufficient to demonstrate targeting,” the court ruled.

The court held that, although the news article about Mr Adewami was accessible online in Maryland and that the plaintiff complained of suffering various injuries in Maryland because of it, that is insufficient to establish specific personal jurisdiction.

https://www.timesng.com/news/top-news/708578-us-court-dismisses-nigerian-pastors-defamation-suit-against-arise-tv.html

Nlfpmod

Seriously. Things are happening

Can't still blame the pastor, only God knows who's real.. Christian or Muslim

C

I don weak for religion matter

It is well...

The court only said though the pastor has a case, but the court has no jurisdiction in the matter.

The pastor can take the case to any Nigeria court for hearing.

Never knew I can pay to make heaven...

Me that's struggling to live holy life.

My own question is, "did arise TV broadcast false information that caused harm to the man or not or na cos of lack of jurisdiction una dey dismiss the case".

Na lawyers go finish this world las las.

If Arise tv lied against him then they should be sued.

Na so heaven cheap?

Wahalla.!!

If I am to hypothetically take his side, it might be he was doing these emotional/conscience persuasion tactics christian clerics usually use to ask for donations from their and Arise TV maybe misunderstood the context.

Endtime prophet

omoredia:
If Arise tv lied against him then they should be sued.

Yess..

They should be sued in Nigeria.!!
Not in the US

Everyone is playing god

Okortor:
Can't still blame the pastor, only God knows who's real.. Christian or Muslim

Okortor:
Can't still blame the pastor, only God knows who's real.. Christian or Muslim

Both of these religions are barbaric scams.

Me i don tire for religion matter fr.

Hmm

🤣🤣🤣

joachimnkenchor:
Na so heaven cheap?

Lol people be filling case any how why go where ur Case no get Jurisdiction....

May God save his people from false prophets of our time.

If you believe any cleric is a person of God, you are being scammed. Sepa esto y conozca la paz.

Of course they don't. What was he thinking?

He should file the case in a Nigerian court, not an American court. Sheesh

DeepSight:


Both of these religions are barbaric scams.

I DISAGREE

My candid advice to Mr Pastor Man is to adopt the Boko Haram approach or simply leave everything to God and move on!



Kikikiki-kakakaka!



Pastorprenuer: use your "god" to make Arise Tv turn to "Asleep Tv"!



Is that simple!





@hotseat

Why do so called men of God even talk of money in church. Christianity only make sense to me if tight, offering, seed sowing etc. are taken out