Court to hear Martha Ankomah’s GH¢5m defamation suit against ‘absentee’ LilWin on July 31

The defamation case brought by actress Martha Ankomah against Kumawood actor Kwadwo Nkansah, popularly known as Lil Win, will be heard on July 31.

This follows the completion of the Case Management Conference on July 25, overseen by Justice Forson Agyapong Baah at the High Court in Accra.

The judge has ordered that Lil Win be notified of the hearing and the court’s notes via the usual means, as he was absent at the previous session and did not have legal representation.

Martha Ankomah is suing Lil Win for defamatory remarks he made about her in a viral video.

In the video, Lil Win is heard making disparaging comments about Ankomah’s significance in the film industry.

The lawsuit, filed on February 14, 2024, claims that Lil Win’s statements have damaged her reputation and that of the brand GTP.

Ankomah asserts that Lil Win falsely accused her of looking down on Kumawood actors and refusing to collaborate with them due to perceived poor-quality storylines.

Ankomah is seeking several forms of relief in her lawsuit, including:

• GH¢5 million in damages for defamation.

• Compensatory damages for harm to her reputation.

• Aggravated damages for the malicious nature of the statements.

• An apology and retraction of the defamatory words.

• An injunction preventing Lil Win from making further defamatory statements.

• Legal costs.

The lawsuit stems from an incident where, during a radio interview on Accra FM, Ankomah expressed disinterest in collaborating with Kumawood actors, citing an aversion to witchcraft storylines. Lil Win responded angrily, leading to the statements Ankomah claims are defamatory.

Ankomah’s statement of claim highlights her long and respected career in the film industry, her ambassadorial roles, and the impact of Lil Win’s statements on her reputation.

She emphasises that she has never made disparaging remarks about Kumawood or its storylines as claimed by Lil Win.

Statement of Claim

In the statement of claim, Martha Ankomah is seeking a declaration that the words:

“Who knows you? If not for GTP and senior government officials who signed you on at GTP, who would have signed you. What kind of star are you? Even your own daughter doesn’t know you.”

“I don’t even know why GTP bypassed the likes of McBrown, Mercy Asiedu and co and made Martha Ankomah their brand ambassador.”

“If you had been a male actor, you would have suffered. When you become an actress and you become a star, men take care of you, men rent accommodation for you, men buy you houses, men buy cars for you. You would have suffered as a man but for the fact that you are female. It is men who look after you. You have become a star that is why men take care of your needs, you don’t use your money on anything.”

Martha Ankomah indicated in the writ that she is “a distinguished actress who has featured in a number of movie productions both in Ghana and Nigeria for more than 20 years.

“The Plaintiff has by dint of hard work as an actress, gained respectability amongst members of the movie and creative industry, movie lovers, friends, and well-wishers.

“The Plaintiff used to be a brand ambassador for GTP promoting their products but currently holds ambassadorial deals with Yaba Ghana, Vibrant Skin Care, and Style In Vogue.

“The Defendant is an actor, musician, and comedian. The Defendant is also the founder and director of a school known as Great Minds School.

“The Plaintiff says that on or about the 8th of February 2024, Defendant without any provocation from Plaintiff went on a tirade on social media, raining insults and invectives on Plaintiff for allegedly consistently turning down offers from movie directors to feature in Twi local movie productions popularly referred to as ‘Kumawood.’”

“The Plaintiff says that the Defendant according to the video circulating all over social media was enraged by the fact that, a director by the name of Frank Fifi Gharbin had informed him that, Plaintiff had turned down an offer to feature in a Kumawood movie on the basis that most Kumawood movies’ storyline does not make sense.

“The Plaintiff vehemently denies this claim and says that she has never had any such conversation with the said director or said anything to that effect to warrant the verbal attack on her.”