Ghanaian actor Joseph Van Vicker has filed a GH¢10 million defamation lawsuit against Kwadwo Nkansah, popularly known as Lilwin, seeking substantial financial compensation over statements allegedly made in a video.
The suit, lodged at the High Court of Justice in Accra, asks the court to declare the statements attributed to Lilwin libellous and defamatory against Van Vicker.
Beyond the GH¢10 million in exemplary damages, the plaintiff is seeking general damages for libel, a public retraction and apology, as well as payment of the costs of the legal proceedings, including legal fees.
Van Vicker is asking the court to compel Lilwin to publish the retraction and apology on news portals with the same prominence as the original publication for four consecutive weeks.
The writ of summons directs Lilwin to enter an appearance within eight days of being served, including the day of service. It further warns that failure to comply could lead to judgment being entered against him in his absence and without further notice.
Ebenezer Asare Esq. of Troth Legal is representing Van Vicker in the matter.
The statement of claim refers to paragraphs 16 and 17 for particulars of the allegedly defamatory publication. However, those sections were not included in the court documents available for this report, making it unclear which specific statements form the basis of the lawsuit.
The legal action comes amid a public disagreement between the two actors over a film project, with Lilwin recently threatening to ensure that Van Vicker is excluded from Kumawood productions unless he apologises over their disputed arrangement.
Lilwin previously expressed displeasure over what he described as Van Vicker’s last-minute withdrawal from a planned movie production. According to him, the alleged decision disrupted the project’s preparations and created challenges for the production team.
Van Vicker, however, rejected Lilwin’s version of events, maintaining that the account presented by his colleague was inaccurate.
The disagreement has since spilled into public exchanges, with Lilwin returning to the matter in a video to reiterate his demand for an apology.
He warned that Van Vicker could be barred from future Kumawood productions if he failed to apologise. Lilwin also indicated that he would work to prevent the actor from appearing in films associated with the industry.
In his comments, Lilwin claimed he would even be willing to pay producers to remove Van Vicker from a production if he encountered him on a Kumawood film set.
He further maintained that he had documentation of the agreement between them concerning the disputed film project, which he believes supports his account of what transpired.
Van Vicker’s decision to seek legal redress introduces a new dimension to the disagreement, with the dispute now extending beyond public statements and threats concerning future film roles.
Check out the writ of summons below.
