Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie, has claimed not to be married to Judith Austin, his supposed second wife and mother of one of his sons.
He says the relationship between them is all about skitmaking, and maintains there is no legally recognised union between them.
His estranged wife May’s legal team, headed by Emeka Ugwuonye of Due Process Advocates, in a statement and video address, revealed that the 42-year-old made this claim in his court filing.
May had filed for divorce in August 2023 with details of the court proceedings being kept hush.
Ugwuonye said the ongoing case at the FCT High Court, Abuja, slated for a hearing on 5 March, faced an unexpected setback as the court session did not proceed, a circumstance Yul and Judy claimed credit for.
In light of this, Ugwuonye, who had initially kept the case details under wraps, now finds himself obligated to unveil the unfolding developments.
Detailing the developments in the case, May’s lawyer highlighted what he considered to be the defence strategy employed by Yul and Judy.
He said they denied being married and insisted that their relationship lacked any legal statutory recognition, claiming to be skit makers.
Citing Yul’s filing, May’s lawyer detailed how the actor denied his marriage to Judy.
He said Yul wrote, “That since the news of the birth of Star in June 2021, Gistlover, as a negative blog that thrives in fake and manipulated information for financial gains, has been negatively exploiting every movie or skit featuring me and Judy and generating social media traffic for financial gains.”
He said May’s initial petition highlighted an alleged traditional marriage ceremony between Yul and Judy on April 24, 2022, in Anambra State, as reported by Gistlover. In response, Yul categorically denied the claim, attributing it to Gistlover blog’s promotion of false information for financial benefit.
Yul and Judy deny the traditional marriage ceremony mentioned in May’s petition, insisting that it was a fabricated story fuelled by the blog’s penchant for fake news.
However, May’s lawyer noted that what was described as a skit-making relationship has produced two children and is about to get the third one.
Yul’s union with Judy has produced two children. In November 2021, Judy welcomed a son named Star Munachimso with Yul, and it is reported that the couple has since welcomed another child, a daughter.
According to May’s lawyer, the accused pair plans to argue that their social media content, including videos and posts, is part of a skit-making endeavour, drawing parallels with Oga Sabinus, a popular skit-maker known for his comedic content.
Ugwuonye also shared some details of the petition filed by May as well as relevant parts of the responses filed by Yul and Judith.
The Respondent (Yul) left Lagos for Enugu the following day, the 21st of April, 2022, a Thursday, and on Sunday, the 24th of April, 2022, the Petitioner found out again on social media via Gistlover Blog that the Respondent was performing traditional marriage rites with Judy in her hometown in Anambra State as at when the information was posted. (The Petitioner shall rely on the publication of this suit at the trial.)
The Respondent (Yul) categorically denies paragraph 10 (xviii) of the petition and states that the Gistlover blog publication was false and fuelled by Gistlover’s enterprise in fake news and chaos. Since the news of the birth of the Respondent’s child with the Co-Respondent in June 2021, Gistlover, a negative blog that thrives in fake and manipulated information for financial gains, has been negatively exploiting every movie or skit featuring the Respondent & Co-Respondent and generating social media traffic for financial benefits therefrom. The Respondent hereby gives the Petitioner the strictest proof thereof.
The Co-Respondent (Judy) categorically denies paragraphs 10 (xviii) &(xix) of the petition and states that the said Gistlover blog publication was false and fuelled by Gistlover’s enterprise in fake news and chaos. There was no traditional marriage ceremony between the Respondent and the Co-Respondent (Yul and Judy) on the 24th day of April 2022 or any other date. The Co-Respondent hereby gives the Petitioner the strictest proof thereof.
According to DPA lawyers, following Yul’s announcement of his second marriage, May had initially considered pressing a bigamy charge, which is a criminal offence of marrying someone while still legally married to another person, against Yul.
However, she was said to have decided against taking such a legal path out of fear of seeing her husband behind bars in the event of a successful outcome of such a case.
May’s lawyer said this prompted a shift in strategy. Instead of that, May opted to file for divorce and pursue damages for adultery against Judy, Yul’s alleged extramarital partner.
May’s lawyer said she resorted to seeking legal redress in court after the death of their son.
The lawyer added that May’s refusal to grant Yul intimacy demands since he had a second marriage eventually felt compelled to involve the law due to threats and aggressive behaviour from her estranged husband.
According to the DPA family law firm, contrary to speculations circulating on social media and in certain blogging circles, May did not file a bigamy complaint against Yul.
He said: ‘‘Each time bigamy was mentioned, she asked, “Will they arrest him?” And we would say: “Most likely yes.” She would refuse to approve it. You can understand that. Despite what Yul did to her, she didn’t want him arrested.
“The only option left was for May to file for divorce and to sue Judy for damages for adultery. Even at that, she didn’t want to rush it. It took until after the death of her child and Yul’s subsequent behaviours for her to file for divorce. As I have stated earlier, once May discovered the relationship between Yul and Judy, May refused to allow Yul access to her. She refused to allow him to have any intimacy with her.’’
According to May’s legal representatives, the misinformation stems from a blogger allegedly under the influence of Judy, who was said to have happened to be her relative.
May’s legal team emphasised that the focus of the case is on divorce grounds of adultery and the damages to be claimed from the alleged adulterous partner, Judy.
Yul and Judy have reportedly denied any marital connection, asserting that their relationship was confined to skitmaking, a claim that May disputes. But May insists they have done wrong.
“May Yul-Edochie has nothing further to prove. Yul and Judy admitted in their sworn statements that they had a child together. That is conclusive evidence of adultery, which is the basis of May’s petition. The law does not require a person to prove what the other party has admitted or conceded,’’ her lawyers said.
