By: R. Joyclyn Wea
MONROVIA-A US$1.5 million dollars action for damages of wrong has been filed against Alexander Benedict Cummings, Political Leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and that of Musa Hassan Bility, Chairman of Liberty Party and all executive members acting under their scopes.
The latest litigation brings to two the number of lawsuit against the two opposition leaders. Both Alexander Cummings and Musa Bility are standard bearer and chairman of ANC and Liberty Party (LP) respectively who were sued by the All Liberian Party (ALP) at the Monrovia City Court in an action of forgery and criminal conspiracy in their personal capacities for the commission of said offenses.
On January 18, 2022, three officers of the Monrovia City Court to include: Patience Kollie, Victoria Y. Davis and Francis Jusu Armah prayed Judge J. Kennedy Peabody of Civil Law Court to hold Cummings and his associates liable under the torts doctrine of ‘respondent superior’ and be made to pay the amount of US$1.5 million in general and punity damages to be decided by the jury.
The recent action against the two opposition figures is the result of an alleged assault commissioned by personal security guards of the defendants that led to the injuries of the three court’s officers of the Monrovia City Court.
It can be recalled that at the call of their forgery case on January 6, 2022 Cummings and Bility allegedly instructed their partisans and personal securities to force their way in the main hall of the Monrovia City Court which court officers prevented in adherence to instruction of the hearing Magistrate Jorma Jallah.
In an effort for court officers to execute and implement the scared instruction of magistrate Jallah, to avoid the over crowdedness and unauthorized entry in the main hall of the court, the defendants’ personal securities allegedly attacked the court officers and forcibly made their way into the court.
In the process, the complainants (court officers) were allegedly assaulted with harmful instruments by some guys whom they believed to be the personal security guards of Cummings and Bility.
This situation, the complainants claimed resulted to serious bodily, mental and emotional injuries to the point they (court officers) were rushed at the SDA Cooper Hospital for medical treatments which uncovers that the complainants: Francis Jusu Armah is most likely to suffer orbital fractures, while Victoria Davis is to suffer ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM (EEG) and Patience Kollie, to suffer rib contusion.
The complainants noted that the injuries inflicted on them were captured and witnessed by the general public that was in attendance at the court’s premises and because of the gravity of the injuries sustained, the situation became the center for media outlets both print as well as social media platforms.
The complainants asserted in their sue that they are entitled to recover damages under the torts doctrine of respondent superior as the continued injuries suffered were perpetrated by the defendants’ agents who are partisans or personal securities to them (Cummings and Bility).
Based upon said complaint, J. Kennedy Peabody, Presiding Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court has summoned the within named defendants to appear before that honorable Court on January 28, 2022 to answer to the complaint levied against them.
Judge Peabody has threatened to render a judgment by default against these defendants should they fail to appear before him on the date stipulated above.
Alphonso Toweh
Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters
He holds first MA with honors in International Relations and a candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Liberia.