Karen Baaba Sam, a Ghanaian mother at the centre of an ongoing child custody and domestic abuse dispute, has filed a defamation lawsuit at the High Co
Karen Baaba Sam, a Ghanaian mother at the centre of an ongoing child custody and domestic abuse dispute, has filed a defamation lawsuit at the High Court in Accra against 11 individuals and media organisations.
The legal action, initiated on Thursday, July 24, 2025, accuses the defendants of publishing false and damaging content about her and her six-year-old daughter across various platforms.
The suit, filed at the General Jurisdiction Division of the High Court, names as defendants: MyDailyNewsonline, Prosper Kay, The Metro Lens, Rebisa Company Ltd., Isaac Boamah-Darko, The Canary, Prispee 2014 Ventures, N.K. Ankomah, Current Issues, Devoted Zak Ventures, and Prosper Kay Agbenyenga.
These entities and individuals are accused of engaging in what the plaintiff describes as a coordinated defamatory campaign against her and her child.
Background: Domestic Abuse and Custody Battle
According to court filings, Baaba Sam has been embroiled in a protracted legal dispute over custody of her daughter following what she describes as years of domestic abuse at the hands of her former partner, Kwadwo Adjei, also known as Nana Adjei.
The relationship, which she ended in 2024 due to persistent violence, has since resulted in multiple court proceedings, including domestic abuse and child custody cases.
Since April 2024, various courts have been managing the matter. On March 24, 2025, a court granted interim custody orders giving Baaba Sam weekday access to the child, while the father had weekend visitation.
However, these interim arrangements were overturned by a different court on June 11, 2025, following an application by the father.
After the ruling, Baaba Sam picked up her child from school — an act she claims was within her legal rights.
However, this move sparked widespread public attention and what Baaba Sam describes as a barrage of misinformation, panic, and personal attacks that intensified when her photograph, along with that of her daughter, began circulating online.
Harmful Publications and Public Panic
In the days that followed, Baaba Sam said she received numerous distress calls from relatives, friends, and colleagues who had seen online content and print headlines accusing her of abducting or trafficking her own child.
On July 17, 2025, MyDailyNewsonline published a post with the sensational headline: “Runaway Mum! Baaba Sam Snatches Daughter, ‘Trafficks’ Her with Fergi in Dramatic Run.”
The same day, The Metro Lens ran a story titled “Child Custody Battle; Baaba Sam In Another Contempt Suit,” while The Canary featured her photo on its front page with the headline: “Child Custody Battle: Baaba Sam Smuggles Child Out of Town.”
Devoted Zak Ventures also published an article stating: “Child Custody Battle: Baaba Sam, Boyfriend Fergi Traffick Child Out of Town.”
According to the lawsuit, all these publications — although published by different media houses — contained identical or nearly identical content and portrayed her as a criminal who defied court orders and endangered her child.
Ms. Sam’s legal complaint describes these reports as malicious, coordinated, and intentionally misleading, claiming they falsely painted her as deceitful, lawless, and unfit to care for her child.
She argues that the reports not only distort the facts of ongoing legal proceedings but also endanger her personal safety and that of her child.
Court Demands and Reliefs Sought
The plaintiff is now seeking 11 key reliefs from the court. First, she wants a judicial declaration that the publications in question are defamatory and infringe on her and her daughter’s right to security and protection.
She is also demanding that all defamatory content be removed from every platform where it was published.
Baaba Sam is seeking general damages for defamation, as well as aggravated and exemplary damages due to what she says is the severity and malicious nature of the falsehoods spread about her.
Additionally, she wants a court order requiring the defendants to issue a written retraction and offer an unqualified public apology — not just through private correspondence but prominently in print and online media for three consecutive days, including on the front page of the Daily Graphic.
She further wants the court to restrain the defendants from making any future publications of a defamatory nature about her and her daughter, as well as full reimbursement of her legal costs.
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