A woman who called off her planned marriage has been ordered to pay Dh60,000 to her former suitor after failing to return cash and gold bars he had given her.
The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Claims Court issued the ruling after finding that the woman had acknowledged the debt in writing and later proposed a settlement but failed to honour it.
According to court records, the man gave her money and gold after they agreed to marry. He said the cash and bullion were worth a combined Dh67,827.
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When the woman then decided not to proceed with the marriage, he asked her to return what he had given her. She acknowledged owing him the money and gold but did not repay him, prompting him to take the dispute to court.
In his lawsuit, the man asked for the return of all the cash and bullion that he had given her. He asked for Dh31,500 — the stated value of the gold — if the bars could not be returned. He supported his claim with bank-transfer records and a written acknowledgement signed by both parties.
Settlement
During the proceedings, the former couple told the court that they had reached a Dh60,000 settlement, which would be paid in two instalments. They initially asked for the agreement to be formally recorded as an enforceable settlement.
However, when the matter returned to court for confirmation, only the man attended. He said the woman had declined to appear and sign the final agreement.
The court found that her earlier written acknowledgement established that she owed Dh17,300 in cash and two one-ounce gold bars.
It said the document was legally binding and could not be disregarded unilaterally without a valid legal reason. The woman appeared before the court and did not challenge the authenticity or contents of the acknowledgement.
Instead, she proposed resolving the entire dispute by paying Dh60,000 — an offer the man accepted.
As there was no evidence that she had paid the agreed sum, the court concluded that the debt remained outstanding.
It ordered the woman to pay the man Dh60,000 and cover the court fees and legal expenses.
Source: Khaleej Times