BREAKING: Court adjourns Nigerian’s $150m suit against Google, GoDaddy.com to May 27

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday adjourned the $150 million suit filed by a Nigerian, Chianugo Peter, against Google LLC and GoDaddy.com LLC, over alleged contract breach till May 27 for hearing.

The judge fixed the date for the defence to cross-examine Peter after he was led in evidence virtually by his lawyer, Emmanuel Ekpenyong, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/238/2023.

The suit followed the alleged shutdown of Peter’s YouTubeAudio.com domain name after eight years of promotional and marketing efforts.

In his earlier originating summons filed by Ekpenyong of the law firm of Fred-Young & Evans LP, the Nigerian alleged that the defendants shut down his domain and business name and transferred the rights over the name to Google LLC, an American multinational technology company.

Although GoDaddy.com LLC neither filed any process nor represented in court, Google LLC, in its initial statement of defence filed on November 10, 2023, by its lawyer, Mark Mordi (SAN), of the law firm of Aluko & Oyebode, urged the court to dismiss Peter’s suit for lack of merit.

Justice Egwuatu, in April 2024, gave the plaintiff go-ahead to amend his originating processes after his lawyer moved the application for same and it was not opposed by the defence counsel.

In his amended statement of claim dated April 29, 2024, Peter sought 10 reliefs.

He sought a declaration that GoDaddy.com was wrong to shut down the YouTubeAudio.com domain name on December 7, 2022 and that Google was wrong to remove “YTAudio” with its website youtubeaudio.com from its Google PlayStore on December 25, 2023, without adequate compensation to him.