A UAE Resident Ordered to Pay Over ₹16 Lakh in Damages for Online Defamation
A young individual in the United Arab Emirates has been mandated to compensate Dh70,000 (approximately ₹16.21 lakh) following the publication of derogatory comments on social media that adversely affected a business’s reputation and resulted in financial losses, as reported by Gulf News.
The ruling was issued by the Al Ain Court for Civil, Commercial, and Administrative Claims after the business owner lodged a complaint, asserting that the man’s online remarks had damaged his shop’s reputation, resulting in a considerable decrease in sales. The claimant had initially requested Dh200,000 to cover both material and moral damages, alongside legal and court fees.
The complaint detailed that the man had made detrimental remarks on a social media platform, which the court confirmed had adversely impacted the company’s public image. Notably, the defendant had already been convicted of the same offense in an earlier criminal court decision.
Court Rejects Defense Plea
In the course of the civil proceedings, the defendant presented a defense, asking the court to reject the compensation demand. He also requested the Federal Tax Authority to release the business’s tax records to ascertain if there was indeed a decline in sales during the period of the alleged defamation. Additionally, he provided documentation, including a dependent’s certificate and screenshots of online conversations.
Despite these arguments, the court upheld the previous ruling, affirming that the defendant had indeed engaged in defamation. Consequently, he was instructed to pay Dh70,000 as compensation to the business owner.