Dean Lewis loses Dutch court case over abuse claims

Dean Lewis has lost a Dutch court case against a former partner who claimed that the relationship was abusive on social media. Lewis demanded that ex-partner Sanne van Ooijen retract several statements she made about the nature of their two-and-a-half-year relationship.

At the heart of the case was the fact that Sanne van Ooijen had been in a relationship with Dean Lewis – the world-famous pop star and singer she had been a devoted fan of. She experienced this relationship as a victim, as she felt it had been abusive. She then shared her account of that relationship on her social media channels and in personal conversations with others.

This prompted the now disgraced singer to send multiple demand letters from his Australian lawyer. This was followed by a demand letter from his Dutch lawyer. On 25 February 2026, Dean Lewis then filed summary proceedings against Sanne van Ooijen before the Dutch court.

Ultimately, this culminated in summary proceedings on Friday, 27 March 2026.

Dean Lewis loses case

It was only after the relationship ended that Van Ooijen was able to reflect on it from a distance and with greater objectivity. During the hearing, she stated the following:

I came across so many different stories from other girls on social media sharing their experiences with Dean. And that’s when it really hit me — I wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t my fault. What he did to me is not okay, and I’m allowed to feel that way and talk about it, because that is how I experienced it. And it appears to be a pattern that repeats itself with him, based on what I’ve seen and heard.

The Dutch court case brought by Lewis was to:

1. To prohibit Van Ooijen from, regardless of the manner and via which medium, making statements public, and/or disseminating false accusations about Lewis via personal or group messages, or suggesting these, including in any case the accusations of having a narcissistic personality disorder, rape, the (sexual or psychological) abuse of women, or that Lewis has otherwise (rb: presumably meant otherwise) committed sexually transgressive behavior, or qualifications and/or terms of similar purport:

IE. To order Van Ooijen to, within 48 hours after service of this judgment,

a. remove all messages about or referring to Lewis and keep them removed from all social media pages of Van Ooijen, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube (and subsidiaries)

However, the Dutch court ruled that what Sanne van Ooijen expressed falls well within the bounds of freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. 

Therefore, the court dismissed all seven claims brought by Dean Lewis in their entirety. Sanne van Ooijen is also not required to issue any retraction. Additionally, Lewis is required to pay her legal costs in full.

The court considered:

The use of the word ‘abusive’ does not therefore (automatically) constitute an accusation of criminal conduct. The fact that Van Ooijen retrospectively described her relationship in those terms, as that is how she felt, is not unlawful.

“Sorry” – but not

In October 2025, Lewis posted a seven-slide gallery featuring a typed-out apology for his “embarrassing” behaviour after the accusations started coming to light. He said:

I understand why people are angry and disappointed after learning embarrassing details of intimate, private conversations and relationships I’ve had with consenting adults over the past decade, but I want to emphasise that none of this is illegal.

The individuals leading the campaign against me have repeatedly acknowledged this, and I’m hurt by any suggestion that I’ve done things that have crossed into illegality. At the same time, I realise I’ve made an incredible mess, people are genuinely hurt, and I need to make changes.

A pattern

But Sanne van Ooijen was not the only one to speak out about her experience with Dean Lewis.

As the Canary has previously reported, many other young female fans have reported similar experiences with Lewis.

Hundreds more women and girls have come forward on social media with a wide range of abuse allegations against Lewis. From domestic abuse and sexual assault, to messaging underage girls with extreme content – it has become clear that Lewis has an ever-growing raft of allegations against him.

The Canary also previously reported on an alleged cover-up of Lewis’ behaviour by Island Records Australia.

Lewis then blocked journalists and refused to refund fans who no longer wanted to attend his shows. He even threatened the Canary.

Since then, the Canary has heard from many women about Lewis’ tirade of cease-and-desist letters and threats to sue unless they issue apologies. Of course, many of these young girls lack access to lawyers and have no choice but to comply.

Dean Lewis thinks he can throw his money, power, and weight around to get what he wants. From threatening young girls with legal action (because yes, Dean, 19-year-olds are still girls!) to sending journalists threatening emails, it has become clear that when the truth fails, powerful men believe that attempting to intimidate and scare people will get them what they want.

Merel Teunissen (Liaise Advocaten), Sanne van Ooijen’s lawyer, commented on the case:

I find it enormously courageous that Sanne refused to be intimidated by a world-famous pop star with deep pockets, who first instructed an Australian lawyer and later a Dutch lawyer to make far-reaching legal demands. A pattern he is now repeating with other women — women who, unfortunately, do not have access to legal assistance and therefore yield to those sweeping legal demands. Sanne chose not to be silenced and fought back through legal means. With success!

Featured image via Dean Lewis/YouTube