An influencer who filmed a restaurant and posted commentary attacking its owner has been ordered to pay tens of thousands of dirhams, in a case the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department is now using to illustrate where online opinion crosses into criminal conduct.
The penalty came after a court reviewed footage the woman had recorded at a well-known dining establishment and shared through her personal social media account. Rather than assessing the food or service, her remarks questioned the owner’s honesty and how he ran the business. Investigators who examined the clip concluded that the wording moved past genuine evaluation and amounted to a personal attack, falling under laws that criminalize insult and defamation carried out through technological means because it was aimed at the individual and his character instead of the product being offered.
When questioned, the defendant acknowledged both recording the venue and publishing the video. She described what she had done as criticism, but that defense did not hold up during the Public Prosecution’s inquiry.
The financial consequences accumulated across separate rulings. Alongside the AED 30,000 fine, the court directed her to pay AED 51,000 in temporary civil compensation to the restaurant owner, bringing her total liability to AED 81,000. Judges also ordered the offending video deleted and the phone used to make it confiscated as an instrument of the offense.
The case forms part of the department’s “Stories and Lessons” series, released as a dramatized awareness video called “A Brief Video… A Costly Price.” The wider campaign is built around explaining how routine choices can carry legal weight, drawing a firm line between commentary meant to improve a business and speech that damages a commercial reputation.
The owner had turned to the authorities himself, filing a formal complaint that argued the footage exceeded acceptable comment and caused lasting harm to a reputation he had spent years building.
