Court denies Davido’s request to halt proceedings in alleged breach of contract case.
2 min readA request for a stay of proceedings in the N2 billion lawsuit against Nigerian-American singer David Adeleke, also known as Davido, by Brownhill Investment Company Limited regarding the annual ‘Warri Again Concert’ has been denied by a Delta State High Court in Effurun.
The plaintiff seeks N2 billion in general damages from Davido in the lawsuit. Additionally, they seek N150 million for legal and professional fees, along with an extra N30 million for the suit’s filing costs. The defendants named in the suit are David Adeleke, aka “Davido,” and his music label, Davido Music Worldwide Limited.
During the hearing, Davido’s lawyer, Mr. Norrison Quakers, SAN, informed the court about a pending appeal and the defendants’ motion for a stay of proceedings. Quakers mentioned that the defendants received the claimant’s counter affidavit but requested to withdraw the motion, citing the Court of Appeal’s jurisdiction over the matter.
The claimant’s counsel, Kelechi Onwuegbuchulem, did not object to withdrawing the motion, which the court granted.
In a bench ruling, the court agreed with the claimant’s argument, stating that proceedings would continue until an order for a stay of proceedings is obtained from the Court of Appeal. The court also approved a motion seeking to formalize the claimant’s reply to the statement of defense and ordered the filing of Pre-Trial Conference (PTC) forms within 14 days, as per court rules. The case was adjourned to March 21, 2024, for a pre-trial conference.
It’s worth noting that Davido previously challenged the court’s jurisdiction in Effurun in a preliminary objection, which the court dismissed in its ruling.