Nollywood actress Adunni Ade has revealed that she won a defamation lawsuit against Google over false reports linking her romantically to former Kogi senator Dino Melaye.
The actress announced the court victory on Instagram, sharing a copy of the judgment with the caption: “Adunni Ade Vs Google. Not every battle needs a response. Some need a courtroom. Unto the next.”
According to the judgment delivered on July 9, 2025, by Justice I.O. Harrison of the Lagos High Court, the court awarded Ade N30 million in general damages and directed Google to remove the defamatory publications from Google.com and YouTube.
Ade had filed the suit against Google and Meta on July 11, 2024, seeking N100 million in general damages.
The case centered on two specific articles that continued to appear 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”.
The actress argued that the publications were “unfair, false and inaccurate,” violated section 37 of the Nigerian constitution guaranteeing private and family life, and caused her “emotional and psychological distress”.
In April 2025, Ade discontinued proceedings against Meta after the company filed a preliminary objection. The court subsequently struck Meta out of the case.
However, the court held firmly against Google, ruling that the core violation was not merely the publication but the false association of Ade’s name and photograph with an embarrassing narrative.
The court ordered Google to delete or expunge Ade’s name and picture from both articles and remove the publications from all their platforms immediately, in addition to the N30 million damages award.
“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,” it added.
The development comes a few months after she celebrated a legal victory in which the Lagos high court awarded her N20 million in damages for a breach of her privacy.