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A Lagos State High Court has awarded $25,000 in damages to Nigerian human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) after Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, displayed a picture falsely suggesting that he was suffering from a terminal illness
The judgment was delivered on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. The court rejected Meta’s defense that it merely acted as a “hosting” or “intermediary” platform, noting that the company monetizes content and that harm arising from misinformation on its platform is reasonably foreseeable.
Court orders Meta to pay $25,000 to Femi Falana over falsehood
Olumide Babalola, convener of PrivCon Nigeria and co-author of the Casebook on Privacy and Data Protection Law in Nigeria, represented Falana in the lawsuit and shared the ruling on LinkedIn. Babalola explained that the case was prompted by a video published on Facebook in early 2025, which falsely portrayed Falana as suffering from a terminal illness.
The judgment was delivered on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. The court rejected Meta’s defense that it merely acted as a “hosting” or “intermediary” platform, noting that the company monetizes content and that harm arising from misinformation on its platform is reasonably foreseeable.
Court orders Meta to pay $25,000 to Femi Falana over falsehood
Olumide Babalola, convener of PrivCon Nigeria and co-author of the Casebook on Privacy and Data Protection Law in Nigeria, represented Falana in the lawsuit and shared the ruling on LinkedIn. Babalola explained that the case was prompted by a video published on Facebook in early 2025, which falsely portrayed Falana as suffering from a terminal illness.