Adunni Ade Wins N30 Million Suit Against Google
Nollywood actress Adunni Ade has revealed that she has won a lawsuit against Google over defamatory articles that falsely linked her romantically to Dino Melaye, former Kogi senator.
The film star shared the news on Instagram with the court judgment. “Adunni Ade Vs Google. Not every battle needs a response. Some need a courtroom. Unto the next,” she stated.
The Lagos high court judgment, delivered July 9, 2025, by Justice I.O. Harrison, awarded Ade N30 million in general damages. The court also ordered Google to delete the publications from http://Google.com and YouTube.
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Ade filed the suit against Google and Meta on July 11, 2024, seeking N100 million in general damages.
The case focused on two articles still visible on Google’s platforms,“How Dino Melaye used fake Patek Watch to woo and knack Actress Adunni Ade back, front and center” and “Actress Adunni Ade involves in heated exchange with famous Instagram blog after being listed among six celebrities to have dated Dino Melaye”.
She argued the publications were “unfair, false and inaccurate,” breached section 37 of the Nigerian constitution on private and family life, and caused her “emotional and psychological distress”.
In April 2025, Ade withdrew the case against Meta after the company raised a preliminary objection. The court then struck Meta out of the suit.
But the court ruled against Google, stating the violation was not just the publication but the false association of Ade’s name and photo with an embarrassing story.
The court directed Google to expunge Ade’s name and picture from both articles and remove the publications from all its platforms immediately, plus pay N30 million in damages.
“It is trite that damages, when violation of fundamental right is established, needs no further proof. The Court will thus award the Applicant the sum of N30, 000, 000. 00 (Thirty Milion Naira) as general damages,” the judgment read.
This comes months after Ade secured another legal win, where the Lagos high court awarded her N20 million for breach of privacy.
That suit was against a Nigerian news platform and its reporter over a January 18, 2023 article.
The story had listed her among “six popular Nigerian actresses who have been accused of dating” Melaye.
BY ABDULBAQI JIBREEL AJAO
