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US Court Dismisses Pastor Adetunmbi Adewami’s Defamation Suit Against Arise TV - Christianity Etc - Nairaland 4c1yh

US Court Dismisses Pastor Adetunmbi Adewami’s Defamation Suit Against Arise TV (23752 Views)

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HeatSeeker(m): 10:17am On Jul 02, 2024
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

2 Likes

HeatSeeker(m): 10:18am On Jul 02, 2024
Nlfpmod

1 Like

Finegirl734(f): 1:21pm On Jul 02, 2024
Seriously. Things are happening

3 Likes

Okortor: 1:21pm On Jul 02, 2024
Can't still blame the pastor, only God knows who's real.. Christian or Muslim

7 Likes

tbambam: 1:22pm On Jul 02, 2024
C
tefishy(m): 1:22pm On Jul 02, 2024
I don weak for religion matter

3 Likes

Brendaniel: 1:22pm On Jul 02, 2024
It is well...
brainpulse: 1:23pm On Jul 02, 2024
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.

103 Likes 1 Share

Aareakinwunmi: 1:23pm On Jul 02, 2024
Never knew I can pay to make heaven...

Me that's struggling to live holy life.

3 Likes

tunjijones(m): 1:24pm On Jul 02, 2024
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.

60 Likes

Mitsurugi(m): 1:24pm On Jul 02, 2024
grin
omoredia: 1:24pm On Jul 02, 2024
If Arise tv lied against him then they should be sued.

4 Likes

joachimnkenchor(m): 1:24pm On Jul 02, 2024
Na so heaven cheap?

3 Likes

BluntCrazeMan: 1:24pm On Jul 02, 2024
Wahalla.!!
Macnnoli4(m): 1:25pm On Jul 02, 2024
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.
jiz: 1:25pm On Jul 02, 2024
Endtime prophet
BluntCrazeMan: 1:25pm On Jul 02, 2024
omoredia:
If Arise tv lied against him then they should be sued.
Yess..

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

9 Likes 1 Share

jiz: 1:26pm On Jul 02, 2024
Everyone is playing god
Okortor:
Can't still blame the pastor, only God knows who's real.. Christian or Muslim

1 Like

DeepSight(m): 1:26pm On Jul 02, 2024
Okortor:
Can't still blame the pastor, only God knows who's real.. Christian or Muslim

Both of these religions are barbaric scams.

1 Like 1 Share

StopTheBan: 1:26pm On Jul 02, 2024
Me i don tire for religion matter fr.

1 Like

atiku4President(m): 1:26pm On Jul 02, 2024
Hmm
Moniya4Real(m): 1:26pm On Jul 02, 2024
🤣🤣🤣
joachimnkenchor:
Na so heaven cheap?
inoki247: 1:27pm On Jul 02, 2024
Lol people be filling case any how why go where ur Case no get Jurisdiction....

2 Likes 1 Share

Majesty33(m): 1:27pm On Jul 02, 2024
May God save his people from false prophets of our time.
Timoleon(m): 1:28pm On Jul 02, 2024
If you believe any cleric is a person of God, you are being scammed. Sepa esto y conozca la paz.
Ishilove: 1:28pm On Jul 02, 2024
Of course they don't. What was he thinking?

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

4 Likes

Paraman: 1:32pm On Jul 02, 2024
DeepSight:


Both of these religions are barbaric scams.
I DISAGREE

1 Like 1 Share

hotseat: 1:32pm On Jul 02, 2024
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

1 Like

Davehasmadeit(m): 1:32pm On Jul 02, 2024
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

2 Likes

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