A U.S. federal judge has reduced the $18 million defamation award previously granted by a jury against former Assin Central MP Kennedy Ohene Agyapong to $500.
The reduction followed a motion for remittitur filed by Agyapong’s legal team.
The defamation suit was brought by award-winning investigative journalist Anas Aremyaw Anas, who had earlier secured a significant legal victory when the jury found Agyapong guilty of maliciously defaming him.
However, Agyapong’s lawyers challenged the size of the award, leading the judge to reconsider the amount.
While the court upheld the jury’s finding that Agyapong defamed Anas, the judge deemed the original $18 million compensation “excessive” and adjusted the damages to $500.
In response to the ruling, Anas emphasized that the case was never about money but about seeking justice and truth.
“Our victory is in the judgment and not the award. It is important to state, as I previously did, that this fight has not been about the money, but rather a fight for truth and justice” Anas said.
He further noted that not a single allegation made against him by Kennedy Agyapong was proven in court
