Q: Hello, I recently made a Google review (and gave 1 star) regarding a grooming gone wrong to my fur baby's long, beautiful coat. Everything was done badly and so wrong; it was so upsetting and disappointing. The owner reached out and gave some free vitamins to my baby boy and even offered to share my résumé with his contacts because I am currently searching for a job. After an hour, the owner called asking me to delete my review. I messaged him not to pressure me or force me into doing something I don’t want to do, and told him I didn’t expect he wanted me to delete the review in exchange for the vitamins he gave for my fur baby. I updated my review and mentioned that I appreciated the gesture. But he called again, threatening that his business partner might file a case against me. Can they really do that to me, even if I didn’t directly ask for the vitamins and I didn’t say any bad word against their company? I just made an honest review based on an upsetting and frustrating grooming service.

Q: My company has a dispute with a maintenance company. Their actions and poor service caused us financial losses and damaged our reputation. We owe them a small amount of AED 1300 only. We also have proof of all the losses that we incurred. This maintenance company now bombarding my Google account with defamation reviews. We have suggested that they address their concern regarding the payment to the authorities, and we will respond officially. However, they don't want to do this and threaten us with more negative reviews. Please advise, what is the best action to take in this case?

Q: Dear Lawyers, My former partner in the company has been saying bad things about me and my family, especially after his cheque payment bounced. He directly threatened, via his company email, to defame me among my relatives. He also sent a WhatsApp voice message (in Persian) to my brother-in-law, filled with offensive language and defamation threats against me and my family. 1) Are the email and WhatsApp voice messages sufficient proof to file a defamation case? 2) Can I send him a legal notice in advance and request an apology letter within 7 days? 3) Do I have the right to ask for a signed apology letter addressed to me and my family? 4) Can I share the apology letter with the people he defamed me to?

The provisions of this Federal Decree-Law, known as the "New Cybercrimes Law", govern Cybercrimes regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The New Cybercrimes Law repeals the previous UAE Cybercrimes Law (Federal Decree-Law No. (5) of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes).

The provisions of this Federal Decree-Law No. (31) of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law, known as the "New UAE Penal Code", governs criminal actions in the United Arab Emirates. The New Penal Code repeals the previous UAE Penal Code (Federal Law No. (3) of 1987 Promulgating the Penal Code).