Nollywood Showdown: Judy Austin Sues Rita Edochie for N1 Billion in Defamation Battle

Nollywood actress Judy Austin has initiated a significant legal action, filing a N1 billion defamation lawsuit against her colleague and co-wife, Rita Edochie. The lawsuit was officially filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja Judicial Division, following alleged defamatory statements made by Rita Edochie against Judy Austin amidst an ongoing family feud.

In the comprehensive Writ of Summons, Judy Austin has outlined a series of specific demands from the court. She is seeking N1 billion in general damages as compensation for the alleged defamatory remarks. Additionally, Judy has requested the court to compel Rita Edochie to publish a full and unreserved retraction and apology in at least two widely circulated national newspapers and across all her social media platforms. The suit also demands that Rita Edochie remove all allegedly defamatory statements about Judy Austin from all online platforms and refrain from any further publication or circulation of such statements. Furthermore, Judy Austin is seeking N50 million to cover the costs of prosecuting the legal suit.

The legal document specifies that Rita Edochie has a period of 30 days from the date of service to enter an appearance in the suit, either personally or through a legal practitioner, before the FCT High Court in Abuja.

However, veteran Nollywood actress Rita Edochie has publicly and emphatically dismissed the N1 billion defamation lawsuit. Hours after the court documents went viral, shared by Judy Austin on her verified Instagram page, Rita Edochie responded with a sharp rebuttal via her own Instagram platform, effectively rubbishing the lawsuit.

In her public response, Rita Edochie stated that she was "utterly confused" by the lawsuit, claiming she does not recognize anyone named "Mrs. Judith Yul-Edochie." She firmly maintained that the only legally recognized "Mrs. Yul Edochie" she knows is Queen May Yul-Edochie. Rita challenged Judy Austin to present an official marriage certificate explicitly capturing her legal name as "Judy Yul Edochie" before she would consider issuing any further legal response to the message.

Rita Edochie further asserted that being addressed by the name "Mrs. Judith Yul Edochie" is highly provocative and constitutes "a terrible slap on the face of the Edochies." She characterized the threat of a lawsuit as a futile attempt to prevent her from speaking out regarding the ongoing Edochie family dispute. Her statement concluded with a direct address to her followers:

''I RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM ONE MRS JUDITH YUL EDOCHIE AND UP TILL NOW I AM STILL WONDERING AND UTTERLY CONFUSED ABOUT WHO THE BEARER OF THAT NAME IS BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ANYONE BY THAT NAME . AS A MATTER OF FACT , THE ONLY MRS YUL EDOCHIE THAT I KNOW IS QUEEN MAY YUL EDOCHIE . WANTING TO BE ADDRESSED BY THAT NAME IS VERY PROVOCATIVE RIGHT NOW WHICH I TAKE AS A TERRIBLE SLAP ON THE FACE OF THE EDOCHIES . ANYWAY , SINCE YOU ARE INSISTENT ON BEING ADDRESSED THAT WAY , I WOULD LIKE YOU TO PRESENT YOUR MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE HIGHLIGHTING THE EXACT CONFORMATION OF THAT WEIRD NAME " MRS JUDITH YUL EDOCHIE " ONLY THEN WILL I GIVE FURTHER RESPONSE TO THIS VERY MESSAGE . DAALU KWANU GREAT LOVERS OF RITA EDOCHIE''