Filmmaker Yap gets gag order to block Sotto from disclosing lawsuit details

Filmmaker Darryl Yap has successfully requested a gag order from the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 205 to prevent veteran actor Vic Sotto and his team from disclosing information about an ongoing lawsuit.

Yap's legal counsel, Fortun and Santos law offices, argue that any disclosure of the verified return involving an unreleased film would violate Yap's artistic freedom and cause significant damage.

Sotto filed a complaint against Yap on Thursday for 19 counts of cyber libel, seeking P35 million in damages due to statements made in the first teaser of Yap's controversial film 'The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma'.

All parties are directed by the court to observe strict confidentiality and comply with the sub judice rule until the case is resolved.

Sotto's lawyer and Yap's lawyer have differing views on the court's current order regarding the trailer and other promotional content, with Sotto's camp declining to comment further.

Assistant dean Cecilio Duka of the University of Makati College of Law noted that one’s freedom of expression ends when it can harm someone else's reputation, highlighting that creative license does not protect against libelous statements.