Nollywood actress, Judy Austin, the second wife of actor Yul Edochie, has taken her long running public dispute with two familiar faces into the courtroom, filing separate defamation lawsuits worth a combined sum of more than two billion naira. The actress confirmed the development in a post on her verified Instagram page, sharing copies of the court documents and declaring that she had reached a point where enough was enough.

Austin filed the first suit against her former husband, Emmanuel Obasi, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, demanding one billion naira in general damages over statements he has repeatedly made about their past marriage and her relationship with Yul Edochie

According to court filings, Obasi has for months alleged that Austin had an extramarital affair with the actor while she was still married to him, and that she denied him access to their children, claims Austin has consistently denied, insisting that her marriage to Obasi ended in 2013 before her relationship with Edochie began.

Beyond the financial claim, Austin is asking the court to compel Obasi to publicly withdraw the statements, issue an unconditional apology, remove the offending posts from his platforms, and pay an additional one hundred million naira to cover the cost of prosecuting the case.

A video circulating online showed the moment Obasi received the court papers from a messenger, confirming he had been served.

In a separate action filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, Austin also sued Rita Edochie, a relative of Yul Edochie who has been a consistent and vocal critic of the union, demanding one billion naira in damages for alleged defamation.

The suit asks the court to order Rita to publish a full and unreserved retraction and apology in at least two national newspapers as well as on her social media accounts, along with a perpetual injunction restraining her from making further defamatory statements.

Austin is also seeking fifty million naira to cover legal costs, alongside a ten percent post judgment interest on whatever sum the court eventually awards. Court documents indicate that Rita has thirty days from the date of service to respond to the suit, either personally or through legal representation.

Rita Edochie has since reacted publicly to the lawsuit, dismissing the claims and challenging Austin to produce her marriage certificate to Yul Edochie, while also suggesting that the actress was attempting to silence her. She had long opposed the union between Austin and Yul from the outset and had previously urged the actor to end the relationship, a stance she has maintained in her public commentary over the years

Obasi, for his part, has acknowledged being served with his own suit, with proceedings against him set to begin later this year at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The lawsuits mark a significant escalation in a saga that has played out publicly for years, drawing sustained attention across Nigerian entertainment circles since Austin’s relationship with Yul Edochie first came to light. With both cases now before the courts, the dispute has moved from social media exchanges into a formal legal battle that could take months to resolve.

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