Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am running a clinic in Dubai. I hired a doctor a few months ago. She failed to perform the work for which she was hired, so I fired her. Now she is giving fake reviews on Google. She is also doing this with her friends. I have contacted her, but she has left the country. Please advise what we can do! Thank you!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Can a clinic and a doctor sue me for defamation if I mention the doctor's name in a negative review of the clinic on Google Maps? Also if they were to proceed with legal action, as they are threatening to do so if I don’t take the review down, how would that affect me as I am not a resident in Dubai and only visit once every 6 months?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I lived in a building where the real estate management person was rude and unhelpful. I faced issues like cockroach infestation, AC problems, seepage, and more, which I have evidence of through pictures and videos. I posted a Google review mentioning his name, stating he is the worst person I've encountered in 10 years. He has filed a complaint with the Dubai police. I have since removed the Google review and apologized in front of the police. However, he insists on harassing me and threatening legal action. How should I handle this situation?

Q: Hi, We own a small pet shop business in Dubai, and a customer posted an extremely damaging Google review, advising people not to use our services. She was initially very pleased after her dog was groomed, paid for the service, and even thanked the groomer for the excellent job—all of which we have on CCTV. However, a few days later, she posted a terrible review, shouted at our staff, left a threatening voicemail, and declared online that no one should use our services. What action can we take against her as this is so damaging to a small business in a small community? Thank you in advance for any advice!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am running a clinic in Dubai. I hired a doctor a few months ago, but she failed to perform the work for which she was hired, so I fired her. Now, she is leaving fake reviews on Google, and she is also doing this with her friends. I have contacted her, but she has left the country. Please advise on what we can do! Thank you!

Q: Hi, Good Evening! I was working with a company, and I have started my own company. Now, we have done a hood cleaning in a hotel and later there was a fire that was not caused by us. The hotel owner did not have any problem and we don't have any case. My old company employer is sending fake news with a photo of our company certificate saying that civil defense has taken our license and contract. He is sending this to all hotels and facility management clients. He is trying to spoil the company name and mislead the customers.

Q: What are the consequences of employees posting fake favorable reviews of business online, please? I can see a lot of information for posting bad reviews with regards to slander, I am struggling to find courses of action and punishments related to creating fake favorable reviews.

Q: Hi, I just received the verdict from the court for a defamation case (WhatsApp conversation). The verdict is a 10k fine and a locked social account. What does it mean by "locked social account"? Does it mean that I cannot use my social account here in the UAE? Thank you in advance for the answer!

Q: We are a business in Dubai, UAE and 2 years ago we had an unpleasant experience with a company in Ajman that had taken advance from us. After confirming everything and also taking the advance, they increased the prices by more than 60% and told us it was due to the raw material price increase and gave very vague reasons. So they gave us our deposit back but because of them, our order was also canceled and caused a lot of problems for us. So we gave them a Google review and wrote what happened. This happened 2 years ago and now, suddenly this company messaged us yesterday that they are filing a case against us for the review which we had given on Google. At that time he had also replied to the review but anyway, after 2 years, he wanted to file a case because we thought of a new law that says you cannot write a bad review of a company. But can he file a case for review which was 2 years old and he is just filing now because he wants to take advantage of the new law? What are our options? Apologies for the long read.

This Law promulgates the Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the United Arab Emirates. Crimes and chastisement punishments shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other penal codes.