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N2.3Billion Suit: More woes for Davido as he agrees to pay N30M to Amaju Pinnick, must perform at the ‘Warri Again’ concert

Published

9 months ago

March 23, 2024

Famous Nigerian singer David Adedeji Adeleke, commonly known as Davido, has consented to resolve the breach of contract lawsuit initiated against him by the Amaju Pinnick-led Brownhill Investment Company Limited through an out-of-court settlement.

The singer has decided to resolve the dispute outside of the courtroom.

As part of the consent judgment entered in a N2 billion lawsuit filed against him, Davido has also agreed to pay N30million to the claimant.

This payment serves as a partial contribution toward the claimant’s outstanding legal fees. Davido has committed to making the payment within seven days following the execution of the terms of the settlement.

In February, a Delta State High Court sitting in Effurun struck out Davido’s application, which sought a stay of proceedings in the N2 billion lawsuit filed against him by Brownhill Investment Company Limited regarding the annual ‘Warri Again Concert’.

Reportedly in November 2023, Brownhill Investment Company Limited informed the court that earlier in the year, Davido had a meeting with its chairman, Amaju Pinnick, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. During this encounter, Davido allegedly made a special request to perform at the mega event organized by the company.

According to court documents obtained by SaharaReporters regarding the ongoing matter, Brownhill Investment Company Limited stated that its chairman was “hesitant” to grant Davido the contract, citing previous disappointments from Davido on two separate occasions.

The company additionally informed the court that the singer signed all the agreement papers after insisting that the full payment be made and the performance agreement was finalized and sealed.

The agreement was dated March 30, 2023, according to the information provided to the court.

The company asserted that instead, the singer attended another event scheduled for the same date at “Lux Nightclub, Melbourne, 373 Chapel St. South Yarra, Australia.”

On November 1, 2023, the claimant, represented by Kelechi Onwuegbuchulem, demanded N2 billion in general damages from Davido and his music company, Davido Music Worldwide Limited.

Additionally, the claimant is seeking N150 million to cover legal and professional expenses, along with an additional N30 million to account for the cost of filing the lawsuit.

The defendants named in the lawsuit are David Adeleke, also known as Davido, and his music label, Davido Music Worldwide Limited.

At the hearing on Thursday, Davido’s counsel, Mr. Norrison Quakers (SAN), notified the court that there was a pending appeal and that the defendants had submitted a motion for a stay of proceedings.

Quakers further informed the court that the defendants had been served with a copy of the claimant’s reply affidavit to the petition for a stay.

However, he proceeded to move for the withdrawal of the application, asserting that the Court of Appeal had assumed control over the proceedings of the lower court.

However, the counsel for the claimant, Onwuegbuchulem, did not contest the application to withdraw the motion, and the court granted it accordingly.

The court upheld the claimant’s argument, affirming that until an order staying further proceedings is obtained from the Court of Appeal, the High Court will continue with proceedings in the case.

The court also granted the motion on notice seeking to regularize the claimant’s reply to the statement of defense and directed that Pre-Trial Conference (PTC) forms be filed within 14 days in accordance with the rules of the court.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the case to March 21, 2024, for a pre-trial conference.