Frank Ocean Beats $14.5million Libel Lawsuit Filed Against Him By His Estranged Father

American singer and songwriter Frank Ocean has beat a $14.5 million (N5,212,750,000) libel suit from his estranged father, Calvin Cooksey, on Tuesday. According to Law 360, after a day-long trial which saw Ocean, his mother Katonya Breaux and Cooksey take the stand, District Judge Stephen V. Wilson ruled that Cooksey hadn’t provided sufficient evidence of defamation. It all started back in February, Ocean’s father, Calvin Cooksey, filed a defamation lawsuit against his son over an essay the singer wrote on his Tumblr account in June 2016 after the Orlando nightclub shooting.In the open letter, Ocean recalled a childhood moment in which he claimed his father used a derogatory term against a transgender woman.“That was the last afternoon I saw my father and the first time I heard that word, I think, although it wouldn’t shock me if it wasn’t,” Ocean wrote. He did not call out Cooksey by name, nor did Cooksey, who represented himself at the trial, produce anyone who saw the post and believed it was about him, argued Judge Wilson. Any claim for damages was, therefore “speculative,” the judge said. Cooksey said the allegation then hindered “his financial opportunities in film and music.” However, Ocean’s attorney, Keith Bremer, confirmed to Pitchfork that the judge ruled in favor Frank. Bremer said, “It was a super sad case. I am sorry that my client had to go through this and am glad that we could bring closure.”.Photo Credit: Getty

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