Dubai court awards lawyer Dh80,000 for social media defamation

Dubai : The Dubai Civil Court has ordered a man to pay Dh80,000 in compensation to a lawyer after finding him liable for defamation, insult and invasion of privacy, following his conviction for publishing social media posts that included the lawyer’s photo without consent and contained offensive remarks describing him as “deceiving community personalities under the pretext of volunteer work.”

The court also ordered the removal of the offensive content from all online platforms and imposed a three-month ban on the defendant’s use of information networks. The ruling was upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation, making it final and binding.

The court further directed the defendant to pay 5 per cent annual legal interest from the date the judgment becomes final until full settlement, in addition to court fees, expenses and legal costs.

The case stems from a civil lawsuit filed by the lawyer, who initially sought Dh5 million in damages for material and moral harm resulting from the online publication.

According to court documents, the incident dates back to November 2024, when the defendant posted photos of the lawyer and others on social media platforms, accompanied by remarks accusing them of “exploiting community figures under the guise of volunteering”.

The posts prompted the lawyer to file a criminal complaint, which led to the defendant’s conviction for using electronic means to insult, defame and violate privacy.

The criminal court fined the defendant Dh30,000, ordered the removal of the content from all social media platforms, and suspended his access to information networks for three months after the judgment became final.

Subsequent appeals were rejected by the Court of Appeal, while the Court of Cassation dismissed the final challenge, confirming the conviction.

In its ruling, the civil court said the final criminal judgment conclusively established the defendant’s liability for insult, defamation and breach of privacy, leaving no scope to revisit the criminal findings in the civil case.

The court also rejected the defendant’s argument that Dubai courts lacked jurisdiction, affirming that compensation claims may be heard where the harm occurred.

While the plaintiff claimed both material and moral damages, including reputational harm affecting his legal practice, the court found no sufficient evidence of financial loss.

However, it confirmed that the lawyer suffered moral damages, including emotional distress caused by the publication of his photo and the accompanying offensive remarks, as well as the burden of pursuing legal action.

Based on these findings, the court awarded Dh80,000 in compensation for moral damages, rejecting the remainder of the claim.