Gareth Cliff wins lawsuit, to be reinstated as idols judge with immediate effect

Axed Idols judge Gareth Cliff won a mammoth lawsuit against M-Net on Friday, hours before the first auditions for the show were due to start. The celebrity won his bid to be reinstated as a judge of the popular talent scouting show after Judge Caroline Nicholls ruled in the High Court in Johannesburg, News24 reports.
"This is a contractual dispute. The contractual relationship has to be reinstated to what it was. M-Net will pay costs to Gareth Cliff," Nicholls told a packed court. Cliff, dressed smartly in a dark suit, smiled as the ruling, which lasted four minutes, was read out.
Cliff’s removal from the show followed a backlash on Twitter after he commented on a Facebook post by KwaZulu-Natal realtor Penny Sparrow. Sparrow had called black beachgoers monkeys. Cliff then tweeted: “People really don’t understand free speech at all.”
Cliff wanted his job back and R25 million for defamation and breach of contract.