A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until 24 November the defamation case filed by actress Judy Austin against her former husband, Emmanuel Obasi, and her colleague, Rita Edochie.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Austin sued Obasi and Edochie separately, demanding N1 billion in damages from each defendant.
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In the suits filed by her lawyer, Anozie Obi of Rubicom Legal Partners, Austin asked the court to order both defendants to publish full and unreserved retractions and apologies in two national newspapers and on their social media platforms.
She also sought a perpetual injunction restraining Edochie, Obasi, their agents and privies from publishing or circulating defamatory statements about her.
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The defendants acknowledged receipt of the writ of summons and hearing notice but did not publish retractions or apologies before the case commenced on 29 September.
Court proceeding
Footage obtained by this newspaper on Tuesday captured Edochie and Austin arriving separately at and departing from the court as the case came up for hearing the same day.
Obasi also confirmed the development in a post on his Facebook page, saying his lawyers told him that the other party’s legal representatives received his application challenging the court’s jurisdiction.
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According to him, the proceedings went well, but he would continue to rely on his lawyers’ advice in allowing the case to follow due process.
“My lawyers have informed me that the lawyers representing the other party have been served with my application challenging the jurisdiction of the court. I have shared the front page of the application. My lawyers are also preparing the other documents that will be filed in the case and have assured me that we are still well within the time allowed to file them.
“Today’s proceedings went well. The case has now been adjourned to 24 November 2026. For now, I will continue to follow the advice of my lawyers and allow the legal process to take its course,” said Obasi.
Post Hearing
Speaking to journalists after the hearing, Edochie alleged that Austin instituted the suit to silence her and prevent her from preaching morality on Instagram.
She insisted that her posts were not directed solely at Austin, but to also educate women on the dangers of taking another woman’s husband.
The actress said, “She doesn’t have the strength to stress me; rather, I’m the one stressing her. Mainly, I talk on morals. I educate the people. If you’re a husband snatcher, I tell you the reason you’re not supposed to snatch somebody’s husband because we have a lot of guys out there. You’re not supposed to take another woman’s husband.
“At the end of the day, we’ll know who will cry. She will cry. She sued me for N1 billion. N1 billion that she has never seen. Has she seen N1 billion? For talking about her. That means she believes that what I’m saying on my page is that she’s the one. That that is what she does. If it is not what she does, why would she now sue me that I defamed her?”
Edochie said she authored all the content she published on her social media pages and shared it solely for educational purposes.
“Everything on my pages, I wrote them with my full chest. They are all for educational purposes. I have a right to educate people.”
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Backstory
The legal dispute stems from a long-running public feud between the parties.
Obasi has repeatedly accused Edochie of having an affair with actor Yul Edochie while they were married and of preventing him from seeing their children, among other allegations.
She has repeatedly denied the allegations.
This newspaper reported that she maintains her marriage to Obasi ended in 2013 and that she had no intimate relationship with Yul Edochie while she was still married to Obasi.
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