Online news outlet face $1 million lawsuit over ‘malicious’ report
Steelmate Investments and its director, Clive Chisenye, have filed a $1 million lawsuit against online news site Express Mail Zimbabwe and its journalists, alleging defamation over a report published on August 12. The report, headlined “Steelmate director Chisenye swims in wetlands storm,” was described as “reckless and malicious” by Steelmate’s legal attorneys, Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners.
The attorneys claim that the report was an attempt to extort money from Steelmate and Chisenye, and that it damaged their corporate image by portraying them as “unethical” and “economic predators.” They also allege that the report falsely portrayed Chisenye as a corrupt businessman who bribes government officials to facilitate illegal activities.
The lawsuit demands $1 million in damages, a full retraction of the article, and an expression of regret within 12 hours of receiving the letter. The attorneys also warned that they will pursue criminal proceedings for cyber-bullying and harassment if the demands are not met.
Steelmate’s legal team argued that a simple fact-check would have revealed the truth, and that the report was a failed extortion attempt. They urged journalists to practice responsible reporting and not harm innocent businesses through “lies and falsehoods.”
Steelmate’s Arguments
It is their argument that a simple verification of facts would have unearthed the truth.
“The aforesaid publication of the defamatory article was preceded by an extortion attempt by your journalist, who demanded payment in exchange for suppressing alleged negative information about our clients, which information was false, prompting our client to refuse to accede to such blackmail,” the letter reads.”
Steelmate and Chisenye argued that the report damaged its corporate image portraying them as “unethical” and “economic predators defrauding their clients.”
It is also their argument that the article portrayed Chisenye as a corrupt businessman, who bribes complicit and indifferent Government Officials, to facilitate his illegal business activities and thrives unjustly in the running of his businesses.
“The malicious article that you published on your website coupled with their pictures is defamatory and was understood by a reasonable reader to carry inaccurate meanings, incorrectly portraying our clients as a millionaire businessman who flagrantly disregards the law and is allegedly currently illegally developing cluster houses on protected wetlands in Sentosa,” the lawyers said.
They also allege that the article portrays Steelmate Investments as a company that has no regards to environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns and Corporate Social Responsibility and portrays Chisenye as an arrogant and disrespectful businessman who refuses to cooperate with the Harare City Council and the Environmental Management Committee.
The lawyers added that the article negatively marketed their clients’ business on the false basis that they act with impunity and that Chisenye and Steelmate are unethical business personas.
“In light of the above, our strict instructions are to demand US$1,000,000 (One Million United States Dollars) in defamation damages payable in two days of your receipt of this letter together with the publication of a full, unconditional and unreserved withdrawal of that defamatory article and the related imputations together with an expression of regret on the same within twelve hours of receiving this letter, posted on your website and shared via all your social media handles,” the letter reads.
The lawyers said journalists should exercise responsible reporting and not harm innocent businesses.
“By evidently accusing our client of such serious allegations, publicly, without credible evidence, you have overstepped the professional and ethical boundaries. Journalism should be not a path to profit through extortion. Your reckless conduct is a recipe for legal recourse, which our clients reserve the right to pursue should the demands set out herein remain unmet.
“We urge you to practise your online media journalism without tarnishing other private personas based on lies and falsehoods, and through extortive behaviour by your personnel.”
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