It appears that Ace Kojo Anan Ankomah, the celebrated lawyer and managing partner at Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa and Ankomah (BELA), did not do due diligence in the suit he brought against Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor, the social media critic.
Hence, the subsequent judgement he won for being defamed by the defendant may become a point of ridicule for the respected lawyer.
The legal practitioner on Monday won a defamation suit against the popular social media commentator and host of ‘With All Due Respect’ on Loud Silence Radio and TV Network, Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor.
In the much-publicised judgement, an Accra High Court ordered the said Taylor to pay GHC2.95 million in damages.
Kevin in one of his shows hit hard on Ace Ankomah alleging that the latter was involved in a scheme by a Dubai-based minerals firm, together with some top members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, with the aim of planning to destroy Nana Appiah Mensah also known as NAM1, CEO of embattled Menzgold.
Unhappy with the accusations, the lawyer subsequently filed a defamation suit, saying the allegations made against him were malicious and have brought his hard-earned reputation into "hatred, ridicule, Obloquy, discredit, contempt, vilification, reproach, great distress and emotional trauma".
But responding to the judgement on his show, Kevin Taylor, noted that he did not receive any summons from Ace Ankomah or from his lawyer Thaddeus Sory.
“I never knew about it because nobody has approached me with any summons, no bailiff came to my house or office to present anything to me and said: ‘Kevin somebody has sued you in Ghana and that you have to be in court or bring a rep in court,'” he said.
He said further that he never even received any of the said court suit through his social media platforms, where he is very active.
Kevin Taylor explained that the name associated with the court suit he read online is not his real name.
“I would like Ace Ankomah to call the USCIS or US Embassy in Ghana and ask them that, do they have anybody by the name Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor in the United States…I would like Ace Ankomah again to call the state revenue agency in the United States and ask them that Loud Silence Media, which address or where was it registered,” he stated.
According to Kevin Taylor, Ace Ankomah getting his name wrong and also getting the address of his Loud Silence Media, the medium he used in his broadcast wrong indicates that he [Ace Ankomah] is not after him Kevin but a different person.
“If you go into the system here that's, USCIS, you will find my full name there and not the name Ace Ankomah sued [Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor],” he explained further.
This, Kevin, states that is to give the celebrated lawyer and his counsel some clues on his real identity.
“He could call the USCIS and ask what is Kevin’s official name on his passport…he [Ace Ankomah] should ask himself that ‘did Kevin ever receive any summons from the court to be represented or to come to court,” he said.
He added that Ace Ankomah should tell the world the state and date he or his lawyers served him [Kevin Taylor] with the suit.
“I don’t know anything about the guys Ghanaians are reporting in their newspapers…I don’t have any idea. My name is not Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor and if Ace Ankomah wants to know my real name or registered name he should go to the US Embassy and he will know and also Loud Silence Media wasn’t registered in New York City,” he stressed.
"Ace Ankomah should do his checks and I know that as a lawyer, the first thing you are taught in law school is to make sure that your facts are right and it is very important...if you get your basics wrong, it means what you think is a judgement against somebody is basically a piece of paper...The basis of Ace Ankomah’s case is weak like some old man’s 'balls'.”
