Yul Edochie reportedly tells court he's not married to Judy Austin, says they are both skitmakers

 Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie has officially disclaimed any legal marriage to Judith Austin, his purported second wife and mother of one of his sons.

 Yul according to May's lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye asserts that their relationship is solely focused on skit creation and lacks any formally recognized union.

The revelation comes as part of the divorce proceedings initiated by his estranged wife, May, who filed for divorce in August 2023. The details of the court case have been kept confidential until now.

Emeka Ugwuonye, May's legal representative from Due Process Advocates, discloses the 42-year-old actor's stance in his court filing. 

Yul and Judy insist that their connection is rooted in skit-making, disavowing any legal recognition of their relationship.

The FCT High Court in Abuja was slated to hear the case on March 5, but an unexpected setback occurred, preventing the proceedings.

READ ALSO: Photos: NDLEA Arrests 2 Grandpas, Intercepts Drug Consignments, Busts Factories In Raid Across Board

 Yul and Judy claim credit for this, according to Ugwuonye, prompting him to disclose the unfolding developments.

May's lawyer outlines the defense strategy employed by Yul and Judy, emphasizing their denial of a legal marriage and assertion that their relationship lacks statutory recognition, being based on skit creation.

Referring to Yul's court filing, May's lawyer quotes, "Since the news of the birth of Star in June 2021, Gistlover has been negatively exploiting every movie or skit featuring me and Judy for financial gains." Yul contests the alleged traditional marriage ceremony reported by Gistlover in April 2022, attributing it to the blog's propagation of false information for financial gain.

Despite their denial, May's lawyer notes that Yul and Judy's skit-making relationship has resulted in two children, with a third on the way. In November 2021, Judy gave birth to a son named Star Munachimso, and reports suggest the couple welcomed a daughter subsequently.

The accused pair plans to argue that their social media content, including videos and posts, is part of a skit-making endeavor. Drawing parallels with Oga Sabinus, a popular skit-maker known for comedic content, they aim to redefine the nature of their online presence in the legal proceedings.

Ugwuonye also provides insights into May's petition and relevant sections of the responses filed by Yul and Judith, shedding light on the complex legal battle unfolding.

"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."