Woman sues Instagram users for defamation, wins Dh25,000 in Abu Dhabi court

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Cases Court  has ordered several defendants to pay Dh25,000 in compensation to a businesswoman after finding that they defamed her and damaged the reputation of her company through abusive comments and threats posted on Instagram, 24.ae news portal reported. 

According to court filings, the plaintiff, who owns a commercial licence and manages her company’s Instagram account, filed a lawsuit seeking Dh500,000 in damages, arguing that the defendants’ public comments and accusations harmed her credibility.

She told the court that the smear campaign led to the loss of clients, a decline in profits, and additional legal expenses linked to previous intellectual property disputes. 

The court noted in its judgment that the defendants failed to challenge or deny the electronic evidence submitted against them, nor did they contest it as forged, amounting to an implicit acknowledgment of its authenticity. 

The evidence included public comments and explicit threatening messages posted on the company’s page.

The court ruled that the defendants’ actions constituted civil wrongdoing, stating that the public defamation and intimidation directly harmed the plaintiff’s commercial reputation, and that the resulting damages and causal link were clearly established.

The court ordered the defendants to jointly pay her Dh25,000 in compensation, in addition to court fees, expenses, and attorney costs.