A United States Court has significantly reduced the $18 million defamation damages awarded against Ghanaian politician and former Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, to just $500.
The Superior Court of New Jersey awarded investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas $18 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit against the former MP, and one Frederick Asamoah, a social media commentator.
The judgment came after a lengthy legal battle stemming from alleged defamatory statements made by the defendants during a 2021 interview broadcast on social media.
READ ALSO: US court awards Anas $18m in defamation suit against Ken Agyapong
A press statement issued on Monday, May 12, by Anas' Tigereyepi confirmed that while the jury’s verdict stood, the trial judge has since granted a motion for remittitur—a legal request to reduce damages—and accordingly reduced the awarded amount to $500.
The plaintiff contends that the court’s ruling upholds the finding of defamation, albeit with a significantly lower financial penalty.
