Veteran Nollywood actress Rita Edochie has reacted to the defamation lawsuit filed against her by actress Judy Austin, questioning the name used to identify Judy in the court document.
Austin reportedly instituted a ₦1 billion defamation suit against Rita at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, accusing her of making defamatory statements about her.
The suit also seeks a retraction and apology, removal of the alleged defamatory publications, and ₦50 million in legal costs.
However, Edochie’s attention was drawn to the name written on the writ of summons.
The document identifies the claimant as “Mrs. Judy Austin Yul-Edochie.” In a lengthy Instagram post, Edochie said she was confused after receiving a message from someone identifying herself as “Mrs Judith Yul Edochie.”
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Questioning who the name referred to, the actress insisted that the only person she recognises as “Mrs Yul Edochie” is Queen May Yul Edochie.
The veteran actress described the use of the name as provocative and said she considered it disrespectful to the Edochie family.
The actress then challenged Austin to produce her marriage certificate showing the exact name “Mrs Judith Yul-Edochie.” She said she would only give a further response to the court message after seeing the document.
While Rita has questioned the name on the court papers, the legal claims contained in Judy’s suit remain allegations to be determined through the judicial process.
