Celebrity chef Redzuawan Ismail, widely known as Chef Wan, who was recently under fire for racist comment, is now facing legal charges for defamation. The Court of Appeal has ruled that Chef Wan must pay RM150,000 in damages to his former son-in-law, Gavin Edward O’Luanaigh, due to defamatory posts on social media.
The decision was reached by a panel of three judges: Azizah Nawawi, Lim Chong Fong, and Wong Kian Kheong. They overturned a previous High Court ruling that had found the public figure’s statements to be non-defamatory.
Yesterday (Thursday, 20th June), Justice Azizah announced that Chef Wan is required to pay RM150,000 in general, aggravated, and exemplary damages, in addition to RM40,000 in legal costs. The court also issued a perpetual injunction, preventing the 66-year-old chef from making any further defamatory comments about his ex-son-in-law.
Additionally, the public figure must pay 5% interest per annum from the date the lawsuit was filed until the full amount is settled. Justice Wong stated that the court found the social media posts to be defamatory. The father-of-two had previously agreed to refrain from making such statements but failed to honour this commitment.
Gavin, who converted to Islam and took the name Salahudin Ghaffar, was married to Chef Wan’s daughter, actress Serina, from 2010 until their divorce in August 2017. In February 2021, he filed a lawsuit, claiming that eight social media posts by the award-winning chef defamed him and his current wife.
In his defence, Chef Wan argued that his posts were based on facts, constituted fair comment, and were protected by privilege, without any intent to harm. However, the Shah Alam High Court had already issued a partial injunction on 11th May 2023, ordering the entrepreneur to stop making defamatory statements and to remove the offending posts. Despite initially ruling that the statements were not defamatory, yesterday’s decision by the Court of Appeal sided with Gavin.
The ex-son-in-law was represented by lawyers Nur Khidmah Huzaisham and Nur Dalilah Zainol Abidin, while M Reza Hassan defended Chef Wan. This case highlights the potential legal ramifications of social media activity, even for well-known personalities like Chef Wan.
Source: FMT
Jade Mary contributed to this article.
