UAE Court: legal dispute unfolds between Arab woman and her legal representative
A once amicable professional relationship between an Arab woman and her legal representative spiraled into a legal dispute encompassing both criminal and civil proceedings as the woman lodged a criminal complaint against the agent, accusing him of making threatening phone calls.
Following a final ruling that found the agent guilty, the woman pursued civil action, seeking one million dirhams in damages.
The agent retaliated by accusing the woman of slander and defamation in a criminal complaint. After obtaining a verdict that was definitively against her, he proceeded to launch a civil complaint, requesting 500,000 dirhams in damages. After reviewing both cases, the Dubai Civil Court dismissed all further claims from both sides and ordered the agency to provide the plaintiff with twenty thousand dirhams, while the woman was ordered to give him ten thousand dirhams in compensation.
The woman, of Arab nationality, brought forth a lawsuit against an Arab man, seeking one million dirhams in compensation for the psychological and emotional distress she endured as a result of his proven criminal offense of threatening her, as per a final criminal verdict. She asserted that their relationship was initially built on a contractual and familial basis, involving mutual visits between their families and granting him legal authority to manage certain affairs, including involvement in a limited liability company without her consent.
Moreover, the woman claimed that, amid a personal dispute with her ex-husband, the defendant intervened as a mediator, representing her with a power of attorney. However, he misappropriated funds from her account and refused to return them, prompting her to file a criminal complaint against him, resulting in his conviction. In response, the defendant countersued, alleging that the woman had damaged his reputation by filing multiple false criminal reports against him. While he obtained acquittals in some cases, he suffered financial and reputational harm, leading to his civil lawsuit.
After careful examination, the Dubai Civil Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff's first lawsuit, citing the final criminal verdict against the defendant as grounds for compensation. Conversely, it ordered the woman to pay 10 thousand dirhams to the defendant, and it ordered the defendant to pay 20 thousand dirhams to the woman, respectively, in the second lawsuit.
