Runtown Summoned To Abuja High Court For Disobeying Court Injunction

Runtown sued by record label eric many entertainment over breach of contract. (Photo credit: File photo)

Runtown To Answer Questions In Court

Runtown has been summoned to appear before a judge at the High Court in Abuja for disobeying injunction issued by the court on the 10th of May, 2018.

According to documents obtained by LIB, Runtown will explain the reason binding his absence and why he should not be sent to prison.

The move is coming after the singer announced that an end had been put to a deal with his former record label, Eric Many Entertainment.

“Effective June 22, 2018, the music artist Runtown, also known as Soundgod, shall and is no longer affiliated with Eric Many, Ltd., Eric Many Entertainment, Incorporated, or any of its affiliates, associates, agents, assigns or subsidiaries. Runtown is now exclusively managed and represented by Soundgod Music Group.”

The management of Eric Many has spoken up in a new statement shared with LIB, saying:

“…We served a Contempt Warning from Court on Runtown on 4th July, 2018 after he defied Court Order and released a song. Rather than heed the Contempt Warning and retrace his steps, he issued a Press Release in which he argued that the Injunction had expired. The Injunction was to stop things until the hearing of our Motion seeking to freeze activities until a decision on his status (whether he had discharged his obligations to us or not) is taken. It barred him from performing or releasing songs for the time being.

The legal advice we received was that Runtown was wrong in his interpretation of the Rules of Court he relied on since he was already served with our Motion and was represented in Court on 31st May, 2018 when the Court adjourned to 27th September, 2018 to hear the Motion and the one filed by Runtown himself! To turn around after that day to proceed to do what the Order barred him from doing, and what the Motion served on him (adjourned in his presence) seeks to stop, is unjustifiable under the 7-Days Rule he relied upon. That could probably apply to a person against whom an interim injunction was obtained without more.

Based on this, we have done two things: One, we have obtained a ‘FORM 49’ against him to explain why he should not be sent to prison, especially when he continued to publicize fixtures for shows in Canada, Namibia, Europe etc and threaten to release more songs, both actions in defiance of the Court Order. The application (now fixed for 8th August) has been served on him in the Punch as ordered by the Court. Two, since we will not allow him to continue to mock the Court Order we have applied and obtained a new Injunction to stop his actions to protect the Contempt Case. The new injunction bars him from his threatened defiant actions in Canada, Namibia, Europe etc. We believe the new Injunction has not also ‘expired’ and hope he respects the Court this time.

Please bear in mind that our main case in Court boils down to whether Runtown has discharged his monetary obligations to us and delivered one Album to us as spelt out in our Contract. He has responded, so it will be good to allow the Court to decide what each party filed. Let both sides apply restraint. As we always say, Ericmany Limited will continue to follow the judicial process. We have confidence in the Rule of Law and will continue to patiently follow the due process until the wrong done to us by Runtown after our heavy investment on him is redressed.”