From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has emerged victorious in a case of defamation he filed against Jackson Ude of PointblankNews in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
An electronic copy of a settlement agreement entered by Sylva and Ude to discontinue the case filed in the court presided over by Joseph F. Leeson. Jr. showed that Ude agreed to take down, delete and destroy all articles and publications alleging any criminal or other misconduct by Sylva appearing on the Pointblank News website and his social media accounts.
Part of the agreement said: “Thereafter, if Sylva reasonably discovers any article or publication violative of this agreement still existing, Sylva will inform Ude first and give Ude reasonable notice (no longer than one-week absent extraordinary circumstances) to delete before such may be deemed a breach.
“Ude will not directly or indirectly engage in any act either to harass or spread false information against Sylva.
“Ude will not directly or indirectly publish any false or defamatory information about Sylva, with liquidated damages of $25,000, per any such publication and attorneys to the winner of any litigation therefrom.”
Sylva and Ude were asked to within seven days execute the necessary stipulation to dismiss the defamation lawsuit.
The agreement was jointly drafted by Sylva’s lawyer, Michael Cilento and Ude’s lawyer, Benneth Amadi.