Renowned gospel singer Mercy Chinwo has taken legal action against popular social media critic, VeryDarkMan (VDM), filing a lawsuit against him for N1.1 billion over alleged defamation.
The lawsuit, which was officially filed on March 3, stems from a series of posts made by VDM on Instagram. In these posts, he accused Mercy Chinwo of failing to remit earnings from her performances to her former record label, EeZee Concept, which is owned by Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, popularly known as EeZee Tee.
VDM further alleged that Mercy Chinwo had breached contractual agreements before parting ways with the label, making it appear as though she had acted dishonestly in handling financial matters related to her career.
However, Mercy Chinwo’s legal representative, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has strongly refuted these claims. He asserted that VDM was never directly involved in the dispute between Chinwo and EeZee Tee but still made “libelous, malicious, and damaging” statements against the gospel singer, which significantly harmed her reputation.
In the lawsuit, Mercy Chinwo argues that she has never had any form of personal relationship or dealings with VDM and that he had no firsthand knowledge of the issues between her and EeZee Concept.
As part of the lawsuit, Mercy Chinwo is seeking N1 billion in general damages for the reputational harm she has suffered. Additionally, she is demanding N100 million in punitive and aggravated damages, as well as N25 million to cover the legal expenses incurred in the case.
Furthermore, she has called for the immediate deletion of all defamatory posts made by VDM regarding her. She is also demanding a public apology from him, along with the publication of retractions in four national newspapers for 14 consecutive days, to correct the alleged misinformation spread about her.
The controversy between Mercy Chinwo and EeZee Concept arose following financial disputes after her exit from the record label. The gospel singer accused EeZee Tee of mismanaging approximately $345,000 generated from her digital platforms and events, alleging that the funds were not properly disclosed or remitted to her.
EeZee Tee, however, denied any wrongdoing, stating that all financial dealings were handled transparently. Despite his denial, he later called for an audit to address concerns and clarify the financial issues raised by Chinwo.
In a legal twist to the case, on February 17, a federal high court in Lagos upheld an arrest warrant against EeZee Tee over financial mismanagement allegations. The court adjourned the case until March 6 for further hearings, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing dispute.