How Much Is a Reputation Worth? Defamation Awards 2023–2026 and the Appeal Cuts

On 18 June 2026 the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s finding that three Facebook statements by Muhyiddin Yassin had defamed Lim Guan Eng, but cut the damages from RM1.35 million to RM450,000, treating the High Court’s award as manifestly excessive. Of the cases reviewed here, it was the third seven-figure award since September 2025 to be sharply reduced on appeal with liability left intact. For anyone who posts, shares or runs a page the message is twofold: the sums are being moderated; liability is not.

Three posts: RM350,000 each at trial, RM150,000 each on appeal

The suit concerned three Facebook statements of 9, 11 and 12 March 2023 about the revocation of a charitable foundation’s tax exemption. In November 2024 the High Court awarded RM350,000 in general damages for each statement (RM1.05 million), plus RM150,000 in aggravated and RM150,000 in exemplary damages.

General damages compensate for injury to reputation. Aggravated damages reflect conduct by the defendant that makes the injury worse. Exemplary damages are meant to punish. The Court of Appeal kept the finding of liability, reduced general damages to RM150,000 per statement, set aside the aggravated and exemplary awards and ordered interest at 5%. The decision appears to be unreported.

The 2023–2026 awards at a glance

The figures below are the courts’ awards as reported.

Reduced on appeal, liability upheld

• MonSpace (M) Sdn Bhd and another v Lim Lip Eng (press statements carried in English and Chinese media, 2017–2018): High Court, 16 March 2023, RM2 million plus RM250,000 costs; Court of Appeal, 29 September 2025, RM75,000 plus RM50,000 costs.

• Khairy Jamaluddin’s suit over eight online publications between October 2021 and January 2022: High Court, 18 April 2025, RM2.5 million; Court of Appeal, 19 February 2026, RM830,000 (RM500,000 general, RM250,000 aggravated, RM80,000 exemplary).

• Lim Guan Eng v Muhyiddin Yassin: RM1.35 million reduced to RM450,000, as above.

Upheld or increased on appeal

• Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng and Teresa Kok v Siti Mastura Muhammad (a by-election campaign speech of 4 November 2023): High Court at Penang, 4 December 2024, RM300,000, RM250,000 and RM200,000 respectively, RM25,000 costs each and an injunction. The Court of Appeal dismissed the defendant’s appeal in April 2026.

• State Government of Sarawak v Chong Chieng Jen (2013 pamphlets and other publications): on 3 July 2026 the Court of Appeal raised the damages from RM150,000 to RM300,000.

Trial-level awards

• Dr Zakir Naik’s two suits against P. Ramasamy, reported at [2024] 2 MLRH 933 (a Facebook post, online articles and a television interview, 2016–2019): High Court, 2 November 2023, RM1.45 million in damages, RM70,000 costs and an apology. An appeal was announced.

• Hannah Yeoh’s suit against a university lecturer over two Facebook posts of May 2017: High Court, 30 May 2025, RM200,000 per post, RM80,000 costs and an injunction. An apology was refused because the court thought it unlikely to be sincere.

• Farhash Wafa Salvador’s suit over a podcast and videos of May 2023: High Court, 29 January 2026, RM550,000 and RM40,000 costs, the defendants being absent. One defendant was held liable for amplifying the material under sensational titles and refusing to take it down after notice.

• Pahang executive councillor Sim Chon Siang’s suit against an influencer over Facebook videos: judgment in default, then, on 9 April 2026, RM1.2 million (RM800,000 general, RM400,000 aggravated), with take-down, an injunction and apologies on social media and in four newspapers.

• Rosmah Mansor’s suit against a TikTok user over a video of 2 March 2023: judgment in default; on 8 July 2025 damages assessed at RM100,000, exemplary damages refused.

• A senior lawyer’s suit over an Instagram video: Sessions Court, Kuala Lumpur, 31 January 2025, RM150,000, RM7,000 costs and an injunction. An argument that the words were mere internet slang was rejected.

• Lim Guan Eng and his son against the blogger known as Papagomo (Facebook posts of 14 March 2020): High Court, 19 May 2026, RM200,000 and RM80,000, with costs of RM30,000 and RM10,000. An appeal filed on 2 June 2026 is pending; a stay was refused on 17 September 2026.

What the pattern shows

Trial awards ranged from RM100,000 to RM2.5 million. Since late 2025 the Court of Appeal has cut three seven-figure awards, yet it has also doubled a smaller one. The direction is towards moderation, not impunity.

Damages are often assessed per statement, because each post is a separate publication. The factors that pushed awards up were failure to verify, no apology, repetition after a letter of demand, sensational titles, refusal to take down and failure to attend court. Money is no longer the whole order: permanent injunctions, take-down orders and apologies on the same platform are now standard.

Practical takeaways

• One post can cost six figures, plus costs and interest; the three appeals above trimmed the sums but left liability in place.

• Never ignore a writ. Two of the awards above followed judgments in default, with damages then assessed by the court.

• A prompt, sincere apology and take-down is the cheapest mitigation; section 10 of the Defamation Act 1957 allows an apology to be relied on in mitigation of damages.

• Content creators and page or group admins who repackage someone else’s allegation under a sensational title are exposed alongside the original speaker, especially if they refuse to take it down on notice.

• Business owners and other claimants: claim realistic sums; appellate courts are trimming trial awards.

• Old posts are not safe posts: one suit above was filed in 2022 over posts from 2017, within the six-year limitation period generally stated for Peninsular Malaysia.

Status as at 19 September 2026

Only the May 2026 Papagomo judgment is known to be under appeal. An appeal was announced in the Zakir Naik suits, but we could not find its outcome. For every other matter above, including the three reduced awards and the Sarawak case, we could not confirm whether a further appeal or leave application has been filed, so none should be assumed final.

Authorities and sources

• Dr Zakir Naik v P. Ramasamy (two suits) [2024] 2 MLRH 933 (High Court)

• Lim Guan Eng v Muhyiddin Yassin, High Court (November 2024) and Court of Appeal (18 June 2026), apparently unreported

• Defamation Act 1957, section 10

• Malay Mail, 2 November 2023, 4 December 2024, 30 May 2025, 8 July 2025, 29 September 2025, 29 January 2026, 18 June 2026, 3 July 2026 and 17 September 2026

• Free Malaysia Today, 24 April 2026 and 27 April 2026; The Borneo Post, 3 July 2026; Sinar Harian (report of the Court of Appeal’s decision of 19 February 2026); Sinar Daily (report of the Sessions Court’s decision of 31 January 2025)

This article is general legal information only and is current as at 19 September 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor-client relationship. Court decisions may be appealed and the law may change; please seek advice on your own circumstances. — Chris & Partners, Advocates & Solicitors