US Court Fines Blogger $300,000 For Defaming MFM

A Baltimore County Circuit Court in Maryland, United States, has ordered a blogger, Funke Ashekun, to pay $300,000 to Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries USA, Inc., for defaming the church.

The Circuit presided over by Judge Judith C. Ensor awarded the damages on March 13, 2026, in the case ‘Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries USA, Inc. v. Olufunke Ashekun.’

The court, by a unanimous jury decision, found Ashekun liable for defamation and false light and awarded $250,000 in compensatory damages and $50,000 in punitive damages to the church’s U.S. branch.

The court recognised the “prolonged, intense, and malicious campaign” conducted by Ashekun against Dr DK Olukoya and the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.

The jury’s decision came after Ashekun’s evidence and witnesses were deemed weak and inadmissible.

The church and Ashekun have been in a legal battle following her social media posts and campaigns, which the church considered defamatory and offensive.

MFM had also argued that Ashekun’s campaign negatively affected its professional integrity and reputation.

The court’s decision is seen as a vindication of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries’ reputation and that of Dr DK Olukoya, the General Overseer.