CAREFUL about washing your dirty linen in public. While you may get plenty of messages of support from your followers, family and friends, the judiciary may beg to differ.
This was certainly the case with well-known celebrity Chef Wan who had to face the legal consequences for postings that touched on family matters.
On Thursday, the Court of Appeal directed celebrity chef Datuk Redzuawan Ismail a.k.a. Chef Wan, to pay RM150,000 in damages to his former son-in-law Gavin Edward O’Luanaigh for defamatory statements made on social media.
According to Bernama, the three-judge panel which included Justices Datuk Azizah Nawawi, Datuk Lim Chong Fong, and Datuk Wong Kian Kheong ruled in favor of O’Luanaigh’s appeal. This overturned a previous High Court decision that had found the chef’s statements non-defamatory.
In delivering the court’s decision, Justice Azizah ordered Chef Wan to compensate O’Luanaigh with RM150,000 covering general, aggravated, and exemplary damages. Additionally, she mandated RM40,000 to cover costs for both the High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings.
A perpetual injunction was also granted, preventing Chef Wan from making any further defamatory statements about his former Irish son-in-law.
Moreover, Chef Wan was ordered to pay a 5% annual interest from the filing date of the writ of summons until the final settlement of the judgment sum. Justice Wong elaborated that the court found Chef Wan’s social media postings to be defamatory towards O’Luanaigh.
The celebrity chef was also found to have violated a court undertaking to refrain from posting defamatory content about O’Luanaigh.
‘Defiant tone’
For the record, O’Luanaigh who converted to Islam and took the name Salahudin Ghaffar married Chef Wan’s actress daughter Serina in 2010 but they divorced in August 2017. In February 2021, O’Luanaigh filed a lawsuit claiming that eight social media posts by Chef Wan defamed him and his current wife.
In his defence, Chef Wan argued that his statements were factual, constituted fair comment, were protected by absolute and qualified privilege, and were made without malice. Nonetheless, the High Court judge Rozi Bainon had ordered the removal of the eight contested posts but ruled that the statements were not defamatory and lacked malicious intent.
Despite the latest ruling, Chef Wan struck a defiant tone saying good riddance and that he could finally focus on family matters.
There was also insinuation that he had “won” the case as the damages were half the settlement he had previously offered to his estranged former son-in-law.
Despite the Court of Appeal’s ruling forbidding Chef Wan from further making defamatory remarks, it seems the 66-year-old just could not help himself.
He posted on Instagram his reactions to the court ruling claiming he “accepted” the decision as it ruled that the manner in which he tried to speak the “truth” was wrong.
He was adamant that it was his methodology of attacking the plaintiff on social media that was adjudged to be wrong – not the content of his stories.
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He also struck the tone of a weary parent tired of the “family drama” adding that he was just pleased that his daughter was now leading a happier existence away from her ex-husband.
The internet was awash with the news of the court ruling and obviously attracted plenty of comments given Chef Wan’s profile as a local celebrity with a penchant for social media.
Lest netizens forget, this is an individual who made tasteless postings about MH370 and more recently, courted controversy with comments about Indian actress Ashwarya Rai that many felt was dripping with racist innuendo.
Perhaps Chef Wan – with due respect – ought to heed some of the “advice” dished out by netizens. – June 23, 2024
