Gareth Cliff’s lawyers call off R25 million lawsuit
Gareth Cliff’s lawyers will not pursue a R25 million defamation lawsuit against M-Net.
This is according to at least two news agencies, including SA Breaking News, and Jacaranda News.
Cliff won his contractual case against the TV production company, following his dismissal from reality show Idols.
His removal from the show followed a backlash on Twitter after he commented on a Facebook post by KwaZulu-Natal realtor Penny Sparrow.
Sparrow had called black beachgoers monkeys. Cliff then tweeted: “People really don’t understand free speech at all.”
The High Court in Johannesburg decided on 29 January however, that Cliff must be reinstated as a judge on Idols with immediate effect.
Cliff had also sought R25 million for defamation of his character. His legal team said that they will observe the pay channel’s behaviour, ‘before progressing on any further legal action’.
Speaking at a press conference following his case win on Friday, as reported on by Channel24, Cliff said “the show must go on”, referring to Idols – which he plans to be a part of for the coming season.
The rest of the court case depends on the “hand of friendship extended to M-Net”, said Cliff. “If they do the same, we’ll reconsider the case’.
Cliff’s attorney Eric Mabuza said: “We’re extending a hand of friendship, saying bygones be bygones”.
“We still have that part of the defamation still hanging, so we’ll be monitoring their conduct from now on and it will be depended on how they behave whether we proceed with the other part of our case.”
More on Gareth Cliff
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