Kumawood actor Kwadwo Nkansah, popularly known as Lilwin, has suffered a legal setback after the High Court in Accra dismissed his request to temporarily suspend a GH¢5 million defamation suit filed against him by actress Martha Ankomah.
The court rejected Lilwin’s application for a stay of proceedings and ordered him to pay GH¢5,000 in costs.
His legal team had argued that the trial should be put on hold pending a decision from the Court of Appeal on an interlocutory appeal. The appeal challenges the jurisdiction and venue of the case, claiming it should be heard in Kumasi, where the actor resides, rather than in Accra.
However, lawyers for Martha Ankomah opposed the application, describing it as a deliberate attempt to delay the legal process. Her counsel, Nii Appiatu Plange, emphasised that Lilwin had failed to demonstrate any “exceptional circumstances” to justify a suspension of the proceedings and noted that the appeal had not advanced meaningfully.
Presiding Judge Justice Forson Baah Agyapong sided with Ankomah’s legal team, ruling that the application lacked merit.
“The court is of the considered view that no exceptional circumstance has been professed,” he stated in his ruling.
The defamation suit stems from public comments Lilwin allegedly made about Martha Ankomah, which she claims damaged her reputation. Attempts at an out-of-court settlement have already failed.
The court has adjourned the case to June 9, when it will resume hearing the main matter. Audiovisual evidence is expected to be presented in open court.
