The City Mayor of Monrovia, Jefferson Tamba Koijee has filed a five million United States Dollars (US$5,000,000.00) lawsuit “Action of damages for libel against Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karngar-Lawrence and former former Montserrado County District #13 Representative candidate, Cornelia Kruah-Tokpah before the Sixth Judicial Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia. The lawsuit was filed by Mayor Koijee’s lawyer, Cllr. Arthur T. Johnson of the Consortium of Legal Practitioners, Inc.
According to the court document in the possession of M-News Africa, Mayor Koijee is praying the court to award damages to plaintiff [Koijee] in the amount of not less than US$5,000,000.00 in General Damages to be decided by the trial Juryto US$$100,000.00 in Punitive Damages.
“Count 6 of this complaint, Plaintiff complains says that after this horrible experience, the 1st Defendant [Senator Karngar-Lawrence] on November 20 , 2018 filed a complaint and letter addressed to the President Pro Tempore , Senator Albert Chie and accused the Plaintiff which reads in part “…I….identified Jefferson Koijee and started pointing to the group , and started to throw stones……. I was panicked for myself and the crowd especially the children …were escaping the chaotic scene caused by the Mayor of the City of Monrovia.” This statement against the Plaintiff was untrue and was only intended to defame the good earned reputation of the Plaintiff and the credibility built over the years. Plaintiff says that this false statement made by the 1st Defendant which had gone in both electronic media both locally and internationally had caused the Plaintiff embarrassment, inconveniences and degradation, emotional distress , and mental anguish,” the court document indicates.
Koijees complaint continues: “as to the 2nd Defendant [Cornelia], during and after the political rallies and the encounters experienced in District Number 13 Community, the 2nd Defendant appeared on both the electronic media , social media and accused the Plaintiff of killing a human being; this appearance of the 2nd Defendant on social media to also include print and electronic media went both locally and internationally based on the said allegation that the Plaintiff had killed a girl during the peaceful rallies of her supporters . This statement which was made by the 2nd Defendant was untrue and was only intended to defame and damage the reputation of the Plaintiff; the facts remains that the libelous statement made by the 2nd Defendant had damaged the reputation of the Plaintiff for which Plaintiff seeks judicial relief . Plaintiff herein attaches copies of the video recordings of the 2nd Defendant falsely accusing the Plaintiff and copy of another video recording showing that it was the 2nd Defendant’s supporters that were engaged in such election violence, Marked as P/ 2to form another cogent part of this Complaint.”
Further to Counts 1 to 9 of this Complaint, Plaintiff says that “the 1st and 2nd Defendants also caused the publishing of news stories on this same falsehood and defamations in most of the Liberian print Medias and defamed the name and reputation of the Plaintiff. Some of those news papers publications are FrontPage Newspaper, Vol. 12, No.129, Monday , November 19, 2018 edition; Heritage Newspaper, Vol. 22, No.34714 Monday , November 19, 2018 Edition; IN PROFILE Newspaper , Vol.11, No. 6 , Monday , November 19, 2018 Edition; The news Dawn Newspaper, Vol. 8, NO.207, Monday , November 19,2018 Edition,; Women Voices , Vol. 7, No. 75, Monday , November 19, 2018 Edition. Plaintiff says that the Defendant lied on the Plaintiff thereby causing Plaintiff damages such as emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassments ,etc. Attached are copies of the said publications to form another cogent part of this Complaint ,Marked as P/4 In Bulk, representing the Newspapers’ publications.”
