Nollywood actress Judy Austin has launched legal action against her ex-husband, Emmanuel Obasi, and fellow actress Rita Edochie, accusing both of defamation.
According to court documents filed at a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court, Austin is demanding a public retraction and apology from Obasi and Edochie, to be published across all their social media accounts and in two national newspapers. The lawsuits were announced on Austin’s Instagram page on Tuesday.
Austin is also asking the court to compel both defendants to delete all allegedly defamatory statements about her and to grant a perpetual injunction preventing them, their agents, or associates from publishing similar material in the future.
In her suit against Obasi, Austin seeks N1 billion in general damages for defamation, N100 million to cover legal costs, and an additional N500 million each in aggravated and exemplary damages.
The court filings request a full and unreserved apology and retraction from Obasi, as well as the removal of all offending statements from his online platforms.
The lawsuit against Rita Edochie mirrors many of these demands. Austin is seeking N1 billion in damages and N50 million in legal costs, alongside similar requirements for public apologies and content removal.
Combined, the damages Austin is seeking from both lawsuits exceed N2 billion.
Austin accompanied her announcement with the caption: “Enough is enough!!!”
The lawsuits are the latest development in a public dispute involving Austin, Obasi, and Edochie. In 2024, Obasi alleged that Austin had denied him access to their children for a decade following her marriage to actor Yul Edochie in 2023.
Rita Edochie, a member of Yul’s extended family, has also been openly critical of Austin, publicly urging her to “release the man you snatched a reference to Austin’s marriage to Yul while he was still legally married to his first wife, May Edochie.
As of this report, neither Rita Edochie nor Emmanuel Obasi have made any public statements regarding the lawsuits.
