The U.S. District Court in Maryland has dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by Nigerian pastor Adetunmbi Adewami against Arise TV, citing lack of jurisdiction.
Adewami, lead pastor of Christ Royal Assembly for All Nations International, headquartered in Maryland, USA, announced through parent company Arise Media Inc. on April 20, 2023. (Nigeria) filed the case against Arise TV.
He alleged in the suit that a news article titled “Pastor Charges N310k for Heaven,” which Arise TV broadcast and published on the internet on April 27, 2022, had caused him harm and resulted in “severe and serious emotional distress.”
Adewami said his photo was wrongly used in the article and he falsely claimed that he charged congregants 310,000 naira to fly to heaven.
The pastor said this “false and offensive broadcast” was broadcast over the Internet and disseminated to a worldwide audience and to the thousands of people who live in Maryland.
For this reason, Adewami said the dissemination of that broadcast has damaged his reputation as a “clergyman, pastor and Christian missionary” to the extent that he has lost congregants.
Judge Peter Messite said he would rule on the case on June 25, saying that the fact that the news article the plaintiff complained about was accessible over the Internet in Maryland did not automatically give the court jurisdiction to hear the case.
He asserted that the defendant, Arise TV, must have sufficient contact with Maryland to trigger the court;s jurisdiction to hear the case.
“Merely broadcasting a news article that became accessible on the Internet in the state is not sufficient to demonstrate a suspect’s own contacts with the state,” Massite ruled.
The court ruled that it had no jurisdiction over Arise TV because the broadcaster is not based in Maryland and has no explicit ties to Maryland
