The appellate court of Maryland, United States (U.S), on Thursday, May 7, upheld a $300,000 defamation judgment against U.S-based blogger, Funke Ashekun, in a case filed by the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), USA Inc, over cyberbullying and false statements against the church and its General Overseer, Dr Daniel Olukoya.
The appellate decision followed an appeal filed by Ashekun after a Baltimore County Circuit Court, Maryland, on March 13, ordered her to pay $300,000 in compensatory damages to MFM USA Inc and Dr Olukoya for defamation and false light claims arising from online publications considered damaging to their reputation.
In its ruling on the appeal, the appellate court granted a motion by the respondents to dismiss the appeal, upheld the earlier judgment in full, and affirmed that the lower court’s decision remains binding under Maryland law.
The court held that the defamation and false light claims were properly determined at the trial level and that the compensatory damages awarded to MFM USA Inc and its General Overseer would stand.
Funke Ashekun, a US-based blogger and former member of MFM, had been involved in a prolonged legal dispute with the church over a series of online publications accused of damaging the reputation of the ministry and its leadership.
With the appeal now dismissed, the $300,000 judgment issued by the Baltimore County Circuit Court in March 2026 remains enforceable against the blogger under the ruling of the Maryland appellate court.
Comments