UAE: Woman to pay Dh30,000 for insulting, sending offensive messages on social media

The Abu Dhabi Court for Family, Civil, and Administrative Cases has ordered a defendant to compensate a woman with Dh30,000 for sending her insulting and offensive messages via a social media application. The court also ordered the defendant, a woman, to bear all legal fees and expenses.

The plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit stating that the defendant had insulted and cursed her through written comments on her photos and videos, as well as through private messages on a social media platform. As a result, a criminal case was filed, which resulted in a conviction. The plaintiff argued that the defendant’s actions caused her both moral and financial harm, prompting her to initiate the civil claim.

In her lawsuit, she demanded Dh150,000 in compensation for the emotional, moral, and material damages she suffered due to the defendant’s behaviour. She also requested the court to compel the defendant to cover all legal fees, expenses, and attorney costs.

In its ruling, the court emphasized that assessing the extent of damage, determining its causes, evaluating evidence, and establishing the nature and scope of the wrongdoing — as well as its link to the damage — is within the court’s discretionary authority, provided that its findings are not contrary to fact, law, or the evidence on record.

The court confirmed that, according to the criminal case documents, the defendant had indeed used profane and abusive language toward the plaintiff through an information technology medium, as recorded in the official case file.

The court further clarified that, under established legal principles, moral damage refers to harm not involving financial loss. This may include physical pain, harm to reputation and dignity, emotional distress, or violations of one’s rights and feelings.

It stated that, based on the UAE Civil Transactions Law, anyone who causes harm to another must provide compensation. In this case, the defendant’s wrongful act — namely, verbal abuse — inflicted emotional distress and anguish upon the plaintiff. Accordingly, the court determined that the appropriate compensation for the moral harm sustained is Dh30,000.

However, the court rejected the plaintiff’s claim for material damages, explaining that compensation for such damages requires clear evidence of harm to a financial interest. While potential future financial harm may be compensated if it occurs and is proven, in this case, the documents and evidence presented failed to establish any direct material loss. Therefore, the court dismissed that part of the claim.