Questions & Answers
Can a company take advantage of the new law and sue us for a review we wrote after two years?
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.
Hello dear questioner,
Yes, he can file a lawsuit, but if you have sufficient evidence and also the company’s response to the review, we can submit a defense and prove to the court that they violated their obligation and this led to the loss of the customer or damage to your company, whether material or moral.
For further discussion, please share the WhatsApp number.
Thank you for reaching out and sharing the details of your situation. I understand how frustrating and concerning this must be for you.
Regarding your question, while the company can technically file a case against you, the timing and the basis of such a case are questionable.
The UAE's defamation laws have indeed become stricter, but the application of these laws to a review made two years ago might not be straightforward.
There are several factors, including whether the new law applies retroactively to the specific content of the review and the company's initial response.
Your options include defending the case by demonstrating that your review was a factual recount of your experience, especially since they acknowledged the issue at that time.
Additionally, it might be possible to challenge the validity of the case based on the time that has passed.
To provide you with the best advice tailored to your specific circumstances, I recommend discussing this matter in more detail.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly via WhatsApp, phone, or email. We can schedule a consultation to explore your options and develop a strategy to protect your interests.
Best regards,
Suhail Rana
