KUALA LUMPUR: Singer-actress Linda Rafar may have forgiven Netizens who “whacked” her last December and January, but a doctor has become an exception.
Dr Rusyainie Ramli has been served with a letter of demand from 41-year-old artiste who is also the founding member of girl group Elite.
Linda is seeking an open apology from Dr Rusyainie for allegedly slandering her on Facebook on May 9.
She also seeks RM4 million in compensation from Dr Rusyainie, and has alleged that the doctor’s “libellous” comments had caused Netizens to attack her again.
In a press statement issued by Linda’s lawyer Nurul Hafidzah Hassan, she said that Linda was also seeking apologies and RM1.5 million in compensation from three other individuals, including PW Community, for slandering her.
Nurul Hafidzah said Dr Rusyainie had claimed Linda “lost” her court case against the Netizens who “whacked” her on social media.
“Linda is exercising her legal rights to restore her personal brand, image and reputation that have been severely tarnished due to the irresponsible and malicious behaviour of Dr Rusyainie Ramli and three other users through their postings on Facebook.
“Linda sent Dr Rusyainie five separate demand letters where she seeks a public apology and RM4 million settlement for publicising five defamatory postings and countless defamatory comments about her on the social media platform.
“She has also sent three more similar demand letters to three Facebook users including PW Community seeking a settlement of RM1.5 million.
“These postings have given a negative perception towards Linda. The information disseminated is not true, and it is a worrying sign that the public has come to believe the postings and comments. She has been described as a person of bad morality, manipulative, and a liar with bad intentions towards all nurses in the country.
“Our client is considering necessary legal action against irresponsible defamation if these demand letters are not responded within seven days,” said Nurul Hafidzah.
On May 9, Linda said she had sought forgiveness from all Netizens who attacked her on social media between December 2018 and January, and forgave them in return.
She had previously resorted to legal action against the 100 Netizens.
The unnamed individuals had slammed her for allegedly humiliating a nurse who looked after her late mother in Shah Alam Hospital last year, and also criticised her family.
On Jan 29, Linda filed a lawsuit against the Netizens, claiming that they “lobbed terrible insults against her family”.
Among others, the Netizens said that she “bullied the nurse, was nasty and arrogant, and that her family was too much and should be banned from hospitals”.
Linda demanded apologies from the individuals on the social media platforms which they used to attack her, failing which she would sue them for defamation.
She revealed that her mother Rasimah Abdul Rahman, 73, who died at the hospital on Jan 11 due to health complications, wanted her to “resolve the matter amicably” with the Netizens.
On Dec 31 last year, a non-governmental organisation the Delegation of Nurses issued a statement on social media which said that they had demanded an apology and compensation from Linda on behalf of the nurse.
They alleged that Linda had insulted the nursing profession and attacked nurses on social media.
Linda had criticised the nurse for not cooperating when she requested that her mother’s soiled bedsheet be replaced. Rasimah had spent a month in the hospital prior to her death.