Court orders Chef Wan to pay RM150,000 to former son-in-law for defamation

 

The Court of Appeal says Chef Wan’s social media posts defamed his former son-in-law, while he had also defied a High Court order to remove them. (X pic)

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal today ordered celebrity chef Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan, to pay RM150,000 in damages to his former son-in-law, Gavin Edward O’Luanaigh, over defamatory social media posts.

A three-member panel, comprising Justices Azizah Nawawi, Lim Chong Fong and Wong Kian Kheong, allowed O’Luanaigh’s appeal to overturn a High Court decision, which had ruled that the statements made by the chef were not defamatory.

In delivering the court’s decision, Azizah ordered Chef Wan to pay RM150,000 in general, aggravated and exemplary damages to O’Luanaigh, and RM40,000 in costs.

She granted a perpetual injunction prohibiting the chef from publishing defamatory statements of his Irish former son-in-law.

She also ordered Chef Wan to pay a 5% interest per annum from the date of filing of the writ of summons until the final settlement of the judgment sum.

In delivering the court’s broad grounds, Wong said the court found that the postings had defamed O’Luanaigh.

He also said Chef Wan had breached an undertaking to the court not to post the statements.

O’Luanaigh, whose Muslim name is Salahudin Ghaffar, was married to Chef Wan’s actress daughter, Serina, in 2010 before their divorce in August 2017.

He filed the suit in February 2021 claiming that eight social media postings by his former father-in-law were about him and his present wife and were defamatory of them.

In his statement of defence, Chef Wan said the statements published in the postings were based on facts and were fair comment, protected by absolute and qualified privileges, and made without malicious intent.

On May 11, 2023, the Shah Alam High Court issued a partial injunction, restraining Chef Wan from publishing any libellous and false allegations against O’Luanaigh.

High Court judge Rozi Bainon also ordered Chef Wan to remove all eight postings about O’Luanaigh. However, the judge held that the statements were not defamatory, nor were they published with malicious intent.

O’Luanaigh was represented by lawyers Nur Khidmah Huzaisham and Nur Dalilah Zainol Abidin, while M Reza Hassan represented Chef Wan. - FMT