KUALA LUMPUR – The sessions court here has ordered actress Amelia Henderson to pay RM195,245 in damages to production company A. Aida Production Sdn Bhd over a breach of contract.
Judge Hakim Zulqairnain Hassan also ordered the actress to issue a public apology and delete a video, uploaded on her social media account, which includes a defamatory statement made against the company.
She was also barred from making similar defamatory statements against the company and ordered to pay RM18,000 to the court.
In June last year, Henderson along with actor Idris Khan were sued by producer Datuk A. Aida for breach of contract involving drama series Sekali Lagi Cinta Kembali.
Aida, whose real name is Zaidah Awang, had decided to withdraw the suit against Idris after both parties had settled the matter out of court.
In this suit, Aida said Henderson withdrew from the drama a day before production was supposed to commence, and subsequently incurred losses.
In an Instagram post, Henderson had alleged that Aida had offered her a different role from what was mentioned in the contract.
To this effect, Aida has also filed a libel suit against Henderson.
The trial, which began last November, had called three witnesses including Aida, Henderson, and production manager Fazeyla Ahmad.
In her testimony, Fazeyla said the company had incurred losses due to Henderson withdrawing from the drama at the last minute.
In his ruling today, Zulqarnain said the contract is binding after it was signed by both parties.
“In this case, testimonies have shown the defendant (Henderson) has agreed to star in the drama Sekali Lagi Cinta Kembali.
“Contract law stipulates that it is not the court’s duty to rewrite the agreement,” he said, referring to the laws under the Contracts Act 1950.
When met in court today, Henderson said she will apply for an appeal to the decision today, reiterating that she pursued the case in court as she believes she was in the right.
“I respect the court's decision. It is not my intention to fight, but I had pursued the case in court as I believed I was right,’’ she told reporters here briefly.
In a separate press conference, Aida expressed that aspiring actors and actresses should study any contracts before they sign and once they do, they must commit to it.
“So for the new generation of artists and actors, take this case as a lesson. Before we sign a contract, we must study it and once signed, we must respect it.”
When asked if she would hire Henderson again for any role, Aida said no and expressed anger at the actress’ last-minute withdrawal from the production.
“It's a no for me because in all of my 25 years as a producer, I never experienced a case where an artist had withdrawn at the last minute.” – The Vibes, April 7, 2023
