A Superior Court in Essex County, New Jersey, has dramatically reduced a defamation award against former Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, from $18 million to a mere $500.
The case was initiated by celebrated investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who sued Agyapong and Ghanaian media figure Frederick Asamoah on May 17, 2022. The suit centred on defamatory remarks made during an episode of The Daddy Fred Show, a digital programme with a strong following among Ghanaians in the U.S. diaspora.
During the broadcast, Agyapong allegedly made several damaging and false accusations against Anas — labelling him a criminal and a thief, and further alleging that he was complicit in the murder of journalist Ahmed Suale.
Suale, a member of Anas’ investigative team, was assassinated in 2019 after the release of Number 12, a documentary that exposed corruption in Ghanaian football.
Last month, a U.S. jury found Agyapong liable for malicious defamation and awarded Anas $18 million in damages. However, Agyapong filed a motion for remittitur, urging the court to lower the amount, which he described as excessive.
On Monday, May 12, the trial judge granted the motion, reducing the damages from $18 million to $500. While the judge upheld the jury’s finding that Agyapong had indeed defamed Anas, he ruled that the original award was disproportionately high.
Anas, reacting to the decision, said he was disappointed by the drastic reduction in damages but maintained that his motivation for filing the lawsuit was never financial.
“Consequent to the finding by the jury, an amount of $18M was awarded in my favour against Kennedy Agyapong. Following the award, Kennedy Agyapong filed a motion for remittitur, asking the judge to reduce the amount awarded against him. Thus, inherent in his motion, Kennedy Agyapong admitted to having maliciously defamed me,” Anas said.
He continued, “Today, the trial judge granted Kennedy Agyapong’s motion for remittitur and reduced the initial award to $500. This means that, while the judge held that Kennedy Agyapong had defamed me, in his reasoning, the award against Kennedy Agyapong by the jury was excessive.”
Highlighting the principle behind the legal action, Anas added, “This fight has not been about the money, but rather, a fight for truth and justice. I am happy that not a single allegation was proven against me in court when Kennedy Agyapong was given full opportunity to substantiate.”
He reaffirmed his dedication to investigative journalism and anti-corruption efforts, declaring, “I will continue in my relentless fight against corruption – and in doing that, continue to name, shame, and jail.”
Source: Channel1news
