The Former Deputy Director General for Information Coordination on the Liberia Institute of Statistic and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), Wilmot Smith has instituted a US$2,500,000.00 lawsuit on the Civil Law Court in opposition to the Management of Spoon Communication Network (1st-Defendant) and the 2nd-defendnat Stanton Witherspoon, proprietor of the Radio Station.
Plaintiff Wilmot Smith over the weekend, January 6, 2023, prayed the court docket to adjudge the defendants accountable for damages within the quantity not lower than US$2,500,000.00 (for General Damages to be determined by the trial jury, and US$500,000.00 in Punitive Damages and US$500,000.00 for profitable legal professional charges.
Plaintiff’s authorized crew headed by Cllr. Arthur Johnson mentioned that his consumer is a law-abiding and eminent citizen who has served in a number of positions of excessive belief and continues to serve within the Republic of Liberia based mostly on the repute he had constructed for himself. He mentioned that the first defendant is the employer of the 2nd defendant.
The 1st-defendant is engaged within the administration, administration, and operation of New Media and Talk Shows operated on a number of radio stations in Liberia and different social media networks operations in Liberia and the United States of America which can be listened to by 1000’s of individuals out and in of Liberia named and styled because the Spoon TV Talk Show, and Network Communication.
Additionally, the 2nd Defendant is the proprietor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Managing Director of the first Defendant.
“The 2nd Defendant is the Owner/Chief Executive Officer(CEO)/Managing Director of the 1st Defendant, Spoon TV, and while in his official capacity as President/CEO of the 1ST Defendant, he willfully, intentionally, and purposely engaged in a slanderous and libelous campaign to harm and defame, embarrass, and humiliate the Plaintiff on Spoon TV social media, news networks, and platforms, including radio stations for more than three(3) months by branding the Plaintiff as a criminal and person who stole Census funds intended to pay enumerators; that is to say that the Plaintiff stole and personally converted Liberian population and housing census money that was designed for pay enumerators. This allegation of the Defendants is untrue and defamatory and has injured Plaintiff unjustifiably.”
He revealed that that between June 2022 and November 30, 2022, on the Spoon Talk Show, the named 2nd Defendant engaged in a scientific marketing campaign to defame Plaintiff by alleging that Plaintiff stole and personally transformed Liberian National Population and Housing Census Money. In truth, based on the 2nd Defendant, on the first Defendant’s platform, Spoon TV and different networks, which have been shared on many various social media platforms, are considered and listened to by 1000’s of individuals nationally and internationally for the only real function of defaming and damaging Plaintiff, Mr. Wilmot Smith, the 2nd Defendant repeatedly labeled and stigmatized Plaintiff as a legal through the Talk Shows thereby inserting Plaintiff life in disgrace and embarrassment and likewise in peril from enumerators and even the general public as a complete.
“Plaintiff wrote the first and 2nd Defendants in regards to the wrongful conduct of the 2nd Defendant on November 30, 2022, as a result of the data made by the 2nd Defendant was unfaithful and misleading and that the only real function of the Defendants’ actions was to tarnish the Plaintiff’s character and causes finest recognized to the Defendants.
The Defendants have been requested to retract their statements in opposition to Plaintiff as a result of such stories are likely to defame, embarrass, and trigger inconvenience to Plaintiff in our gullible society. Still, as much as the submitting of this Complaint, the Defendants have did not retract their slanderous and libelous statements which have been carried out in print and digital media for the only real function of naming, shaming, and harming Plaintiff.
The goal of the 2nd Defendant’s motion was to defame and embarrass and injure the reputational integrity of the plaintiff, which Defendants have achieved as a result of as much as the time of the submitting of this Complaint, the Defendants are nonetheless engaged in finishing up these slanderous statements on social media and different web platforms in opposition to the dignified picture of the Plaintiff”.
According to him, through the defendants’ libelous marketing campaign in opposition to his consumer, the defendants, notably 2nd defendant, labeled Plaintiff as somebody who had transformed funds supposed for the nationwide census into private use.
To show that the 2nd Defendant’s statements have been unfaithful, The United Nations Population Fund and Steering Committee International Partners debunked the Defendants’ account on November 11, 2022, and later cautioned Liberians to not politicize the census; moreover, on October 24, 2022, the UNFPA known as on the Liberian folks to disregard Defendants’ recording, which falsely accused Plaintiff.
“The defendants facilitated on their Platform (Spoon TV) and internet communication networks that Plaintiff conspired with Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Minister of Finance, to open a secret foreign account in the Republic of Ivory Coast in an Ecobank Account. This statement was also untrue and defamatory because ECOBANK debunked Defendant’s assertions against Plaintiff when ECOBANK denied ever having such a secret account. The ECOBANK statement appeared on the Frontpage Newspaper Vo.16 No.215, dated Monday, November 21, 2022”.
WHEREFORE AND IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES, Plaintiff humbly prays Your Honor and this Honorable Court to carry the defendants accountable for common damages within the quantity not lower than Two Million Five Hundred United States Dollars (US$2,500,000.00) to be determined by the trial jury, and punitive damages within the quantity of FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS (US$500,000.00) for libel and slander, and grant unto Plaintiff all different reliefs which can be and authorized together with profitable legal professional charges within the quantity of US$500,000.00.
As results of the previous Deputy Director General for Information Coordination on the Liberia Institute of Statistic and Geo-Information Services, Wilmot Smith’s authorized motion the Civil Law Court has issued a writ of summon for the Management of Spoon TV and FM Communication Network (1st-Defendant) and the 2nd-defendnat Stanton Witherspoon, proprietor of the Radio Station 2nd-defendnat Stanton Witherspoon, proprietor of the Radio Station in connection to the plaintiff’s motion. Source: Court doc.
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