US court declines jurisdiction in MFM’s Olukoya libel suit against Badejo, the United Kingdom blogger.
A case instituted against a United Kingdom-based blogger, Maureen Badejo, for libellous publications against the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (Worldwide), Dr Daniel Olukoya, at the United States District Court, in the Northern District of California, has been dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction by the court.
Starnews Nigeria reports that the court also denied pastor Olukoya a motion filed to seek a default judgement against the Popular blogger, Badejo.
Recalled that an Ogun State High Court in Abeokuta had on February, in a default judgment, slammed N500 million damages against Maureen Badejo, for libellous publications against the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (Worldwide), Dr Daniel Olukoya, and the church.
The Court also granted “a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant by herself, her agents, servants, privies or other persons howsoever called or described from further making, publishing and/or disseminating defamatory stories and statements about the claimants or any one of them.”
But the case has since been appealed by Badejo who said she was not heard by the court and was not aware of such a case in Nigeria because according to her, “she was not served and does not reside in Nigeria”.
In a similar case in the United Kingdom High Court, Queen’s Bench Division, Badejo has approached an appellate court to set aside a judgement delivered in favour of Dr Olukoya and his Church by the Queen’s Bench Division High Court where a perpetual injunction was obtained by Pastor Olukoya and his church, MFM, restraining her (Maureen Badejo), from further publishing defamatory words against or concerning Dr Daniel Olukoya, his family, and his church, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.
But in the recent judgement by the US court, the case instituted against Badejo by Dr Olukoya was dismissed.
Because the Court lacks personal jurisdiction over Defendants, Plaintiffs’ motion for default judgment is DENIED, and the case is DISMISSED. The Clerk is directed to TERMINATE the case. IT IS SO ORDERED. Dated: May 6, 2021”, Justice Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., the United States District Judge
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