Actress Adunni Ade files lawsuits against Vanguard, Google, Meta over defamation
By Folashade Olorunfemi –
Nollywood actress Adunni Ade has announced that she has secured court judgments in lawsuits against Vanguard Newspapers, Google and Meta Platforms over alleged defamation and invasion of privacy.
The actress shared copies of the court documents on Thursday, writing, “The court has spoken, onward and upward,” while thanking the judiciary and her legal team for their efforts.
According to the court documents, Adunni accused Vanguard Newspapers and its correspondent, Ayo Onikoyi, of invading her privacy by publishing an article titled “Beauty not enough to keep a man,” which allegedly disclosed her private marital information without her consent.
The court held that the publication unfairly processed the actress’ name, photograph and marital status, describing the information as false and inaccurate in violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023. It also found that the respondents failed to publish a retraction and apology after the complaint was made.
In its defence, Vanguard argued that the report was sourced from another publication, Yeye Kudi Courtroom, and that it was unaware the actress intended to keep her marital life private. The newspaper also maintained that the publication was intended to educate married women. The court, however, awarded N300,000 in damages against the respondents.
In a separate suit, Adunni challenged alleged defamatory publications circulated through Google and Meta platforms, including a story claiming that former lawmaker Dino Melaye used a fake luxury watch to woo her, alongside another report alleging she had dated him.
The court held that the publications were false and constituted an invasion of the actress’s right to privacy and reputation, despite the respondents’ roles as digital platforms. Justice I.O. Harrison ruled that Google and Meta were liable as channels through which the publications were disseminated.
The court subsequently ordered Google and Meta to remove the offending publications from their platforms and awarded Adunni Ade N30 million in damages for the harm caused to her reputation.
