By Precious D. Freeman
The Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice has issued a Writ of Summons for Nayaborqua Oldpa Yeazeahn, AKA Prophet Key, after Liberia’s Culture Ambassador, Juli Endee, has filed a US$5 million lawsuit against the defendant in an Action of Damages for Slander and Libel.
Madam Endee wants the Civil Law Court in Monrovia to adjudge the defendant liable to her for damages in the amount not less than US$5M for General
Damages, to be decided by the trial jury, and US$300,000 in Punitive Damages, and US$250,000 for successful attorney fees, for the following factual and legal reasons:
The plaintiff says she is a law-abiding and eminent Liberian citizen who has meaningfully contributed to the societal, cultural growth, and national development of the Republic of Liberia through the promotion of peace, and has received both national and international laurels.
She informed the court that the defendant is believed to be a Liberian citizen who currently resides in the Arab Kingdom of Morocco and operates a talk show on several social media outlets such as Facebook, TikTok, and etc., with the name of the talk show “Prophet Key Show” which is merely intended to blackmail, denigrate, an besmear the hard-earned reputations of some prominent Liberian citizens.
She explained further that sometimes in the month of December, 2023, in two of the defendant’s video podcasts published on social media, he willfully, intentionally, and purposely engaged in a slanderous and libelous campaign to harm and defame, embarrass, and humiliate the plaintiff.
Plaintiff submits and says further that the defendant did not just make defamatory and derogatory statements against her person, but labeled the plaintiff as an indecent person who is engaged in inappropriate relationships with high-profile personalities, namely, former President, Charles Ghankay-Taylor, current President, George Manneh Weah, and currently attempting to engage in an inappropriate relationship with the current Secretary-General of the Unity Party, Amos Tweh, for the purpose of securing a position in the incoming Government of President-elect, Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
The plaintiff, in her lawsuit, presented video podcasts (recording) and pictorial evidence to form a cogent and integral part of her complaint.
The Liberian Culture Ambassador avers that upon hearing from family relatives, friends, local and international partners, and by her personal viewing of the video podcasts published by the defendant on his social media platforms, plaintiff has made frantic efforts by communicating with the Minister of Justice, Cllr. Frank-Musa Dean, Jr.; Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Republic of Liberia, to include the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Liberia, the Delegation of the European Union in Liberia, the Embassy of the United States of America near Monrovia, the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), Press Union of Liberia, the Unity Party, and other government ministries
and agencies, about the constant attack against plaintiff’s integrity and hard-earned reputation, which the defendant has intentionally, purposely, willfully, and knowingly published on social media and other internet platforms.
That plaintiff submitted the content of the video podcasts containing
unsubstantiated and unfounded accusations, in which the defendant alleged that the plaintiff discouraged people from voting for the President-elect, Joseph Boakai, during the 2023 General and Presidential Elections.
The Defendant, in his podcast, also accused the plaintiff of threatening her employees to influence their voting choices, and labeled the plaintiff as an “Enemy of the incoming Government”, which, he purported, that partisans of the Unity Party had complained to him, the defendant.
The plaintiff asserts that it is evident in the video podcasts that the defendant
was seen pleading with the incoming leadership of President-elect, Joseph Boakai, to disallow the plaintiff from partaking in the new government upon taking office
in January 2024, and defendant further threatened that it is his wish and desire that the leadership of President George Manneh Weah will be the last government that plaintiff should ever work in as an official or culture ambassador.
“Hence, plaintiff humbly requests Your Honor to take judicial notice of the video podcasts as attached to plaintiff’s complaint.”
According to her, the primary objective of the defendant’s action was to defame and embarrass and injure the reputational integrity of the plaintiff, which
defendant has achieved, because up to the time of the filing of this complaint, the
defendant is still engaged in carrying out these slanderous statements on social media and other internet platforms against the dignified image of the plaintiff.
She noted that the social media network the defendant used and continues to use
to defame and damage plaintiff’s character has a wide range of listeners and followers, both national and international, and information from these social platforms is regularly being viewed by followers on these social networks, which are visible throughout the world.
Because of this publication by the defendant, plaintiff has received telephone calls from friends, families, and loved ones worldwide, about how denigrating and defaming the video podcasts are to the plaintiff’s reputation and integrity.
This situation has placed plaintiff in severe embarrassment, mental unrest, and imbalance; hence, plaintiff says that the Action of Damages for Slander and Libel will lie against the defendant.
She lamented that the willful and calculated acts of the defendant to tarnish
the good and untainted reputation of plaintiff, without any legal justification, is intended to expose her to danger and harm in the public that she has been engaged in the act of inappropriate relationships with high-profile politicians.
The plaintiff asserts and says that the defendant’s continuous act to defame the reputation of the plaintiff on national radio stations, print media, and other intellectual forums, does not only damage and taint the importance of the plaintiff, but has clouded and subjected the plaintiff to unwarranted national and international insecurity; hence, Action of Damages for Slander and Libel will lie against the defendant, under the circumstances,” Ambassador Endee told the court.
The plaintiff maintains and contends that as a result of the defendant’s Facebook and TikTok (social media) appearances and defamatory statements that are intended to attack and bring the hard-earned reputation of the plaintiff to public glare and questioning, many of the plaintiff’s partners, primarily national and international partners, have elected to question the plaintiff’s integrity on the allegation made by defendant in his podcasts.
Plaintiff said the verbal obloquy and character assassination has caused her severe damages and economic setbacks, as well as embarrassment and inconvenience.
