The Court of Appeal has delivered a landmark judgment refusing to recognise and enforce a U.S. court ruling ordering $740 million in defamation damages, finding the award to be “manifestly contrary to Malta’s public policy.”

The case stems from a 2020 Florida judgment in which Turkish billionaire Mehmet Tatlici was awarded $740 million in damages against his half-brother Ugur Tatlici. The latter was represented in Malta by Dr Douglas Aquilina and Dr Mark Attard Montalto of Attard Montalto & Aquilina Advocates.

In Malta, Mehmet Tatlici sought to execute the Florida judgment against Ugur Tatlici’s assets, including companies Mayna Limited and Contra Limited. The First Hall of the Civil Court rejected the request in February 2025, citing a breach of Maltese public policy and natural justice.

In its recent ruling, the Court of Appeal – composed of Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, and Judges Robert G. Mangion and Grazio Mercieca – upheld the original decision. The Court noted that while foreign judgments are generally recognised, the extraordinary sum of $740 million in moral damages was wholly inconsistent with Maltese law and principles of proportionality.

The Court found that the appellant had failed to substantiate how the damages reflected real or measurable loss. It agreed with the lower court that enforcing such a “punitive and deterrent” amount would undermine Malta’s legal framework and expose Maltese citizens to disproportionate liability for online expression.

The judges emphasised that the Maltese legal system seeks to balance freedom of expression with the protection of reputation, and that importing such a massive award risked “allowing through the window what the State does not permit through the door.”

The Court concluded that the enforcement of the Florida judgment “would violate basic principles of Maltese natural justice and public order,” reaffirming that damages of such scale have no place within Malta’s defamation framework.

The plaintiff was represented by Dr Malcolm Mifsud and Dr John Refalo, while the defendant was represented by Dr Douglas Aquilina and Dr Mark Attard Montalto.