“How I won N30 million against…..”, Actress Adunni Ade drags Google to court over Melaye dating story

Adunni Ade, a Nollywood actress, claims she won a lawsuit against Google after libelous websites wrongly linked her romantically to Dino Melaye, a former Kogi Senator.

The film actress declared the victory on Instagram, releasing the court ruling paper with the caption “Adunni Ade Vs Google.” Not every war requires a response. Some require a courtroom. “Unto the next.”

According to the document, I.O. Harrison of the Lagos High Court issued a decision on July 9, 2025, awarding the actress N30 million in general damages, as well as an injunction requiring Google to remove the publications from Google.com and YouTube.

Ade filed a lawsuit against Google and Meta on July 11, 2024, demanding N100 million in general damages.

The case revolved around 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 engages in heated exchange with famous Instagram blog after being listed among six celebrities to have dated Dino Melaye.”

The actress claimed that the publications were “unfair, false, and inaccurate,” breached Section 37 of the Nigerian constitution, which protects private and family life, and caused her “emotional and psychological distress”.

Ade dropped the case against Meta in April 2025, after the firm filed a preliminary objection. The court then dismissed Meta’s case.

The court, however, ruled decisively against Google, stating that the core breach was not simply the publication, but the deceptive linkage of Ade’s name and photograph with an unpleasant tale.

In addition to the N30 million damages award, the court ordered Google to delete or purge Ade’s name and photo from both articles as well as remove the publications from all of their platforms immediately.

“It is common knowledge that when a basic right is violated, there is no need for additional proof. The Court will accordingly give the Applicant N30,000,000.00 (thirty million naira) in general damages,” it added.

The development comes just a few months after she won a legal battle in which the Lagos High Court granted her N20 million in damages for a violation of her privacy.

Ade sued a Nigerian news outlet and a writer over an item published on January 18, 2023.

The post referred her to a piece about “six popular Nigerian actresses who have been accused of dating” lawmaker Melaye.