In a recent development, the Karnataka High Court made amendments to a previous trial court ruling that had suspended the account of Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, who is known for his popular Twitter handle ‘@theliverdr.’ Justice S G Pandit’s decision now allows Dr. Philips to regain access to his account, provided he agrees to conceal the alleged defamatory tweets concerning Himalaya Wellness Corporation and its products.
Himalaya had filed a complaint against Dr. Philips, alleging that his posts containing derogatory statements had caused substantial harm to the company’s business. In response, Senior Advocate Aditya Sondhi, representing Dr. Philips, clarified that his client’s compliance with the undertaking did not indicate a concession of guilt. “This Liv52 product is banned in the US,” Sondhi argued.
Dr. Philips had approached the High Court after a Civil Court issued an ex-parte interim injunction order, suspending his Twitter account ‘@theliverdr,’ as part of a defamation lawsuit initiated by Himalaya. Additionally, the Civil Court had restrained him from making any defamatory statements against Himalaya Wellness Corporation.
Senior Advocate Sondhi questioned the proportionality of the trial court’s order, asking, “Could my entire account be suspended?” Himalaya contended that Dr. Philips’ statements were false and driven by an ulterior motive to promote products from other companies like Cipla and Alchem, with Senior Advocate Uday Holla representing the company.
The court signaled that interim relief might be granted if Dr. Philips agreed to remove all derogatory tweets from his account.
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