Martha Ankomah vs. Lil Win: Defamation Case to Begin on July 31

On July 31, an Accra High Court will hear a defamation case filed by actress Martha Ankomah against Kumawood actor Kwadwo Nkansah, popularly known as Lil Win.

This follows the Case Management Conference that was completed on July 25, which was overseen by Justice Forson Agyapong Baah at the High Court in Accra.

During the conference, the judge ordered that Lil Win be notified about the hearing and the court’s notes through the usual channels, as he was absent from the previous session and did not have legal representation.

Martha Ankomah initiated the lawsuit on February 14, alleging that Lil Win made derogatory remarks about her.

Ankomah claims that Lil Win falsely accused her of looking down on Kumawood actors and refusing to work with them because she considered their storylines to be of poor quality.

In her lawsuit, Ankomah is seeking several forms of relief, including GH¢5 million in damages for defamation, compensatory damages for the harm to her reputation, and aggravated damages for the malicious nature of the statements. She is also requesting an apology and a retraction of the defamatory remarks, as well as an injunction to prevent Lil Win from making further defamatory statements.

Statement of Claim

In the statement of claim, Martha Ankomah is seeking a declaration that the words:

“Who knows you? If not for GTP and senior government officials who signed you on at GTP, who would have signed you. What kind of star are you? Even your own daughter doesn’t know you.”

I don’t even know why GTP bypassed the likes of McBrown, Mercy Asiedu and co and made Martha Ankomah their brand ambassador.

“If you had been a male actor, you would have suffered. When you become an actress and you become a star, men take care of you, men rent accommodation for you, men buy you houses, men buy cars for you. You would have suffered as a man but for the fact that you are female. It is men who look after you. You have become a star that is why men take care of your needs, you don’t use your money on anything.”

Martha Ankomah indicated in the writ that she is “a distinguished actress who has featured in a number of movie productions both in Ghana and Nigeria for more than 20 years.

“The Plaintiff has, by dint of hard work as an actress, gained respectability amongst members of the movie and creative industry, movie lovers, friends, and well-wishers.

“The Plaintiff used to be a brand ambassador for GTP promoting their products but currently holds ambassadorial deals with Yaba Ghana, Vibrant Skin Care, and Style In Vogue.

“The Defendant is an actor, musician, and comedian. The Defendant is also the founder and director of a school known as Great Minds School.

“The Plaintiff says that on or about the 8th of February 2024, Defendant without any provocation from Plaintiff went on a tirade on social media, raining insults and invectives on Plaintiff for allegedly consistently turning down offers from movie directors to feature in twi local movie productions popularly referred to as ‘Kumawood.’”

“The Plaintiff says that the Defendant according to the video circulating all over social media was enraged by the fact that, a director by the name of Frank Fifi Gharbin had informed him that, Plaintiff had turned down an offer to feature in a Kumawood movie on the basis that most Kumawood movies’ storyline does not make sense.

“The Plaintiff vehemently denies this claim and says that she has never had any such conversation with the said director or said anything to that effect to warrant the verbal attack on her.”