Mercy Chinwo, a gospel artist, has filed a lawsuit against social media critic VeryDarkMan (VDM) for alleged defamation, seeking N1.1 billion.
The lawsuit, filed on March 3, was in response to VDM’s series of Instagram postings accusing Chinwo of hoarding revenues from her concerts rather than remitting them to her former record label, owned by Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, also known as EeZee Tee.
VDM also claimed that Chinwo broke contractual terms before leaving the business.
However, her lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, denied the allegations, claiming that VDM was never personally involved in the conflict but made “libelous, malicious, and damaging” accusations that harmed the singer’s reputation.
“The claimant avers that she has neither had any form of relationship with the defendant nor was the defendant involved in the issue between the claimant and EeZee Tee in any material particular,” the legal document states.
Mercy Chinwo is demanding N1 billion in general damages, N100 million in punitive and aggravated damages, and N25 million for legal fees.
She also demands that VDM remove the alleged defamatory posts, issue a public apology, and run retractions in four major newspapers for 14 days in a row.
Chinwo’s conflict with EeZee Concept started as a result of financial disagreements following her departure from the label.
She accused EeZee Tee of mismanaging $345,000 from her digital platforms and events without adequate disclosure or payment.
While EeZee Tee refuted the charges, he later requested an audit to address concerns about financial impropriety.
On February 17, a federal high court in Lagos upheld an arrest warrant against him, and the case was adjourned until March 6.
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