KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here on Tuesday (Aug 5) ordered rapper Caprice to immediately remove all defamatory posts about a businessman from his Instagram account, which were uploaded last month.
Judge Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh made the ruling after allowing an ad-interim injunction sought by Datuk Seri Jeyenderan Ramasamy, 50, against Caprice, whose real name is Ariz Ramli, 39, as the sole defendant.
The court also restrained Caprice from making further defamatory statements about the plaintiff pending the hearing of the inter partes injunction.
The order was confirmed by Jeyenderan’s lawyers, Muniandy Vestanathan, Fiona Aurelia Culas and Muhammad Afiq Yahawa, as well as Caprice’s counsel, Megat Syazlee Mokhtarom, when contacted by Bernama.
Jeyenderan, the chief executive officer of a shipping company, filed the suit on July 21, claiming that on July 10, the defendant had uploaded several posts, including photographs and videos of him, on Instagram, allegedly linking him to criminal activities, gangsterism and armed threats, without any credible evidence.
Based on his statement of claim, the plaintiff asserted that the defamatory posts were intended to create suspicion, public hatred and social pressure against him, and that the defendant had never contacted him or his representatives to seek verification or clarification before publishing such serious allegations.
He contended that the defendant’s actions clearly demonstrated no intent to provide fair and accurate information, but rather to tarnish his name and reputation, noting that the defendant commands significant influence on Instagram with over 1.5 million followers.
As a result of the publications, Jeyenderan alleged that his reputation as a global shipping and maritime expert had been damaged, and claimed he suffered special damages amounting to RM1mil after losing several keynote speaking contracts in Dubai, Turkey and India, offered by a Dubai-based company.
On July 15, his solicitors issued a letter of demand to the defendant outlining several demands, which the defendant subsequently rejected through Messrs Megat Iqbal & Co.
The plaintiff is seeking RM3mil in damages for reputational harm, special damages, general damages and exemplary damages, along with costs and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
He is also applying for an injunction to prevent the defendant from making further defamatory statements, to compel the removal of all defamatory content, and to require a public apology across all social media accounts owned or controlled by the defendant. - Bernama
