Byrmo vs Chocolate City: Judge Drops Case Due To Accusation Of Bias

According to thenet.ng , The judge in charge of the ongoing court case between Brymo and Chocolate City, Justice Buba I.N, has pulled out of the case after he was accused of being biased.

During cross examination of singer Brymo, yesterday, Chocolate City Counsel T.O Lawal claimed that the Chocolate City vs. Brymo dispute was as a result of the singer’s misconducts and his promotion of hard drugs on his social network accounts.

"I want to put it to you that one of the reasons you had problems with the plaintiff (Chocolate City) was because you were promoting hard drugs on your social network accounts. I was made to understand by the record label that your conducts and promotion of hard drugs like Indian hemp made the record label to lose a potential N20M endorsement deal for you with a major telecommunication company. Negotiations were ongoing about the deal, but it was called off," Lawal said to Brymo.

However, the statement was playfully countered by the judge, Justice Buba I.N, who said: ‘The plaintiff cannot have a problem with a singer promoting hard drugs because that is what they all do. We are all fans of Fela and Bob Marley, and they promoted these things.’

Unhappy with the judge’s comment, T.O Lawal expressed his sadness and insinuated that the judge was being biased.

To ensure fair hearing to the satisfaction of both parties, Justice Buba made it clear that he will be handing the case over to another judge.

During the court session that lasted from 1:14PM to about 1:47PM, Brymo was called to the witness box for cross examination, and he revealed his numerous dealings with Chocolate City.

Answering questions on why he dumped the record label, Brymo revealed that he and the C.E.O of the label Audu Maikori had a verbal agreement to part ways.

‘We had a discussion at Chocolate City’s office in Lekki in December 2012, when he told me I can leave the label. I was not happy with the way I was being treated by the label and we agreed to stop working together. He was to give me a document to that effect but he later changed his mind,’ Brymo told the court.

During cross examination, it was also revealed that Brymo signed a three album and a five-year-deal with the record label which was to expire in 2016.

Reacting to Justice Buba’s decision to pull out of the case, Brymo’s counsel Nike Olagbende told NET that the judge had no choice than to do so.

‘The judge did the right thing. Once a party feels the judge is being biased, the judge has the option of pulling out. What he did was fair,‘ Olagbende revealed after the court proceedings.

Chocolate City counsel T.O Lawal still maintains that he doesn’t want to talk to the press.

"I have been a lawyer for more than a decade and I have never spoken to the press. You have been disturbing me for a while and I promise I will speak to you soon but not today," he told NET Correspondent.

Brymo, as usual, was in court with his girlfriend. His father, who has always joined him in court, was absent today.

The court will soon announce the new judge for the case and a resumption date for the hearing.