UAE

A Dubai court has dismissed a company’s attempt to establish ownership of a luxury yacht, ruling that the matter had already been conclusively determined by final court judgments. The company was ordered to bear the legal costs and pay Dh6,000 in legal fees.

The claimant argued that it had financed the yacht’s construction and was its rightful owner, although the vessel was registered in the name of another company. It also sought to halt enforcement of an earlier judgment, alleging that the ruling had been secured through fraud, deception and collusion.

According to court records, the company said it had entered into agreements with shipbuilders in 2009 to construct the yacht for its benefit. It maintained that the purchase price and associated expenses had been paid from its own funds.

To support its claim, the company submitted payment records, receipts and other documents. It argued that the yacht had subsequently been registered through a separate company established for that purpose and asked the court to recognise its ownership, allowing the vessel to be registered in its name or that of an affiliated entity.

The dispute stemmed from an earlier case in which a court found that the yacht’s registered title was not genuine and recognised another party as its lawful owner. That judgment also invalidated the vessel’s transfer and sale to another entity, permitting the successful party to register it through an affiliated company.

The ruling was subsequently upheld on appeal and by the Court of Cassation, making it final and binding.

Ownership Dispute Cannot Be Reopened

In dismissing the latest claim, the court held that the central question of ownership had already been adjudicated and could not be litigated again. It relied on the legal principle that a final judgment bars a fresh challenge where the parties, subject matter and legal grounds are substantially the same.

The court explained that this principle extends beyond the formal outcome of an earlier case to the essential issues underpinning the judgment. It found that the previous proceedings had definitively addressed the validity of the yacht’s title and ownership, including the invalidity of the registered ownership arrangement.

The claimant could not therefore initiate new proceedings to challenge or circumvent a judgment that had already acquired final legal effect.

The court also considered the corporate structure of the companies involved, emphasising that each registered company possesses a separate legal personality from its shareholders, managers and affiliated entities.

It concluded that the evidence submitted by the claimant was insufficient to establish that it was the yacht’s legal owner or that the company named on the registration documents was merely holding the vessel in name only.

Finding no legal grounds to disturb the earlier judgments, the court dismissed the ownership claim in its entirety. It also rejected the company’s urgent application to suspend enforcement of the previous ruling. The claimant was ordered to pay the court costs and Dh6,000 in legal fees.

Three collective cases involving Dh12.3 million in claims were resolved through judicial deposits and amicable agreement.

An Abu Dhabi court has recovered Dh7,811,933 in unpaid labour dues for 948 workers within three months, helping safeguard their financial entitlements while supporting employment stability and business continuity.

The Abu Dhabi Labour Court secured the payments through judicial deposits and direct payments under amicable settlements in three collective cases, involving total claims of Dh12.3 million. The recovery was achieved through co-ordinated efforts by the court, the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) and the parties involved in enforcing the settlements.

Under the agreements, 457 workers received their full entitlements, while another 491 were paid part of the amounts due to them. The outstanding balances are to be recovered through regular instalments, allowing the collection process to continue.

The settlement process also enabled the workers to retain their jobs with the companies concerned. The approach is intended to preserve stable employment relationships, sustain economic activity and help businesses maintain their operations while meeting their financial obligations.

Resolving Labour Disputes in the UAE

The UAE resolved 98.6 per cent of labour disputes amicably during the first half of 2026, according to figures released by MoHRE.

The ministry's dispute resolution system settled 185,793 cases during the period, while 2,481 disputes, accounting for 1.4 per cent of the total, were referred to the judiciary for further proceedings.

One factor behind the high settlement rate is MoHRE's authority to adjudicate labour disputes directly when claims do not exceed Dh50,000. The measure has helped speed up the resolution of employment-related claims, ease the workload of local courts and enable workers and other claimants to obtain their legal entitlements more quickly.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of two suspects for consuming psychotropic and narcotic substances, sentencing each to three months in prison followed by deportation from the UAE.

The case began after the Public Prosecution referred the suspects and others to criminal trial on charges including membership of an organised gang and possession of amphetamines with intent to traffic.

According to the case documents, the first suspect consumed morphine outside the circumstances permitted by law and later took the psychotropic substances Nordazepam, Oxazepam and Temazepam. The second and third suspects were also accused of consuming morphine.

The court of first instance sentenced the first and second suspects to three months in prison each for drug consumption. It also ordered the confiscation of the seized items and their deportation from the UAE after completion of their sentences.

The Public Prosecution appealed against the ruling concerning the charge of belonging to an organised gang. The Federal Court of Appeal accepted the appeal in form but rejected it on its merits.

The Federal Supreme Court subsequently upheld the appeal ruling, leaving the prison sentences, confiscation order and deportation of the two convicted suspects in place.

The Al Ain Court of Civil, Commercial and Administrative Cases recently ordered a man to pay Dh600,000 to a camel seller after he received 10 camels but failed to pay the agreed price. The court also ordered him to bear the lawsuit fees and expenses.

According to case papers, the seller filed a lawsuit seeking Dh600,000 from the buyer, saying he had sold him 10 camels for that amount. Despite receiving the animals, the buyer failed to make the payment even after repeated demands, the seller said.

To support his claim, the seller submitted WhatsApp exchanges between the two parties in which he demanded payment and the buyer responded in a manner that acknowledged the outstanding amount and indicated that he would pay it.

The court found that the WhatsApp correspondence constituted evidence supporting the seller's claim. The exchanges included the seller's repeated requests for payment and the buyer's responses promising to settle the debt.

The court also noted that the buyer did not dispute the contents of the WhatsApp conversations during the case preparation stage. Instead, he acknowledged that he had purchased the camels from the seller and owed the full amount claimed, while saying that he was unable to pay it at that time.

The court therefore ordered the buyer to pay Dh600,000 to the seller, in addition to the applicable lawsuit fees and expenses.

A woman who called off her planned marriage has been ordered by an Abu Dhabi court to pay Dh60,000 to her former suitor after failing to return cash and gold bars he had given her before the wedding.

The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Claims Court issued the ruling after finding that the woman had acknowledged the debt in writing and subsequently agreed to settle the dispute for Dh60,000, but failed to make the agreed payment.

According to court records, the man had given the woman cash and gold after they agreed to marry. He said the items had a combined value of Dh67,827.

When the woman later decided not to proceed with the marriage, the man asked her to return the money and gold. She acknowledged that she owed him the amounts and items but did not repay him, prompting him to file a lawsuit.

In his claim, the man sought the return of all the cash and gold he had given her. He also sought Dh31,500, representing 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 informed the court that they had reached an agreement under which the woman would pay Dh60,000 in two instalments. They initially asked the court to formally record the agreement as an enforceable settlement.

However, when the case returned to court for confirmation, only the man appeared. He told the court that the woman had declined to attend and sign the final settlement agreement.

The court found that the woman's earlier written acknowledgement established that she owed Dh17,300 in cash and two one-ounce gold bars.

It held that the signed acknowledgement was legally binding and could not be disregarded unilaterally without a valid legal basis. The woman appeared before the court but did not dispute the authenticity or contents of the document. Instead, she proposed settling the entire dispute by paying Dh60,000, an offer that the man accepted.

As there was no evidence that she had paid the agreed amount, the court concluded that the debt remained outstanding. The court therefore ordered the woman to pay Dh60,000 to the man, in addition to court fees and legal expenses.

Two men who allegedly posed as representatives of a government entity to convince a man that he had won a Dh200,000 cash prize have been sentenced to six months in prison by a UAE court.

The Sharjah Misdemeanours Court convicted the two defendants in absentia and ordered their deportation from the country after the victim discovered that Dh84,000 had been taken from his bank account instead of receiving the promised prize.

How The Scam Unfolded

According to court records, the incident began with a phone call informing the victim that he had won Dh200,000. The callers allegedly claimed to represent a government entity, lending credibility to the unexpected prize and persuading the victim that the offer was genuine.

The men told him that certain procedures had to be completed before the prize could be released. They subsequently asked him to provide personal identification and banking information as part of what they described as a verification process.

The callers also persuaded the victim to disclose a one-time password (OTP) linked to his bank account. Believing that the information was required to complete the procedures and receive the prize, he complied with their requests.

The promised payment, however, never arrived. Instead, the victim discovered that Dh84,000 had been withdrawn from his account, according to the case records.

Court Proceedings

The victim reported the incident to the authorities, leading to the prosecution of the two men before the Sharjah Misdemeanours Court.

Prosecutors accused the defendants of using fraudulent methods to obtain the victim’s banking information and gain access to his funds. After examining the circumstances surrounding the calls and the subsequent movement of money, the court convicted both men.

Each defendant was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison, followed by deportation from the UAE.

The case illustrates a familiar pattern in financial fraud, in which criminals use the promise of an unexpected prize to create excitement and persuade victims to lower their guard.

The alleged use of a government identity added another layer of credibility to the deception, while the request for an OTP was critical to gaining access to the victim’s funds.

What appeared to be a Dh200,000 windfall therefore ended with the victim losing Dh84,000 instead.

Kaden Boriss has been named ‘Top Corporate Law Firm of the Year’ at the Global Brand Awards 2026, recognising the UAE-based firm’s position in corporate law and its expanding presence across regional and international markets.

The award was presented at the Global Brand Awards ceremony held at Address Sky View in Dubai on October 2. Dr Sunil Ambalavelil, Global Executive Chairman of Kaden Boriss, received the award on behalf of the firm from Mervyn D’Couto, Chief Managing Officer at HeyBobo.

Organised by UK-based Global Brands Magazine, the awards recognise brands across a range of industries for performance, innovation, customer experience and consistency. The 2026 edition brought together business leaders and brands from sectors including banking, real estate, technology, hospitality, education and professional services.

The recognition comes as Kaden Boriss continues to position its corporate legal practice around business-oriented advice, combining legal risk management with commercial considerations faced by companies operating in the UAE and other international markets.

“Corporate legal work should not be limited to identifying risks after they arise. Our philosophy is to understand the client’s business, anticipate the legal and regulatory challenges and build solutions that support sustainable growth,” Ambalavelil told The Law Reporters after receiving the award.

He said the firm’s approach was also centred on long-term relationships rather than individual transactions. “For us, effective legal counsel means understanding where a business is today, where it intends to go and how its legal structure can support that journey. The objective is to give clients clarity and confidence while protecting their interests as they expand,” he added.

The Global Brand Awards, now in their 14th edition, evaluated companies across international markets before the Dubai ceremony. Global Brands Magazine said the selection process involved research by its internal team and assessment by independent evaluators.

The awards also placed emphasis on the changing role of technology and artificial intelligence in business and branding. The 2026 programme included discussions on AI-driven customer engagement and the relationship between artificial intelligence and consumer trust.

Kaden Boriss’ recognition comes against a backdrop of growing demand for corporate legal services as businesses operating in the UAE navigate increasingly complex regulatory, investment and cross-border requirements.

The firm advises businesses on areas including corporate structuring, commercial agreements, mergers and acquisitions, investment and regulatory matters, with its wider professional network supporting clients on cross-border business requirements.

Ambalavelil said the award belonged to the wider Kaden Boriss team and reflected its emphasis on combining legal expertise with a practical understanding of business. “The strongest corporate legal advice is advice that works in the real world. It must be technically sound, commercially practical and aligned with the client’s long-term objectives,” he said.

The Global Brand Awards have previously recognised international brands including Emirates, Dubai Duty Free, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Microsoft, Malaysia Airlines and Harley-Davidson.

A Dubai court has upheld the validity and enforceability of a contract for the sale of a residential villa worth Dh23 million after the buyer demonstrated that he had paid the full purchase price.

The Gulf national had filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to confirm the validity of the agreement and compel completion of the procedures required to transfer ownership of the Dubai property into his name.

The buyer told the court that he had transferred the entire purchase amount to the seller through three bank transactions but that the seller had failed to complete the title transfer.

During the proceedings, the seller argued that the buyer still owed Dh210,000 towards the brokerage commission and sought to delay the transfer of ownership until the amount was settled.

The buyer agreed to pay Dh100,000 towards the brokerage commission and withdrew an earlier claim for Dh5 million in compensation. He instead limited his demands to securing recognition of the sales contract and its enforcement.

The seller’s legal representative subsequently accepted the Dh100,000 brokerage payment into the client’s account, confirmed the validity of the sales contract and acknowledged that the full purchase price had been received. The representative also raised no objection to the transfer of title.

The Dubai Real Estate Court found that the sales contract had been duly signed by both parties and that there were no legal obstacles preventing completion of the ownership transfer.

The court also found that the buyer had fulfilled his financial obligations under the agreement. Bank transfer records supported his claim that the full purchase price had been paid, while the seller’s representative had expressly acknowledged receipt of the amount.

The court concluded that the issue raised by the seller over the outstanding brokerage payment no longer constituted a basis for delaying the transfer after the agreed Dh100,000 payment had been accepted.

It therefore confirmed that the sales contract was valid and enforceable and directed each party to bear their respective share of fees, expenses and legal costs.

The Law Reporters (TLR) has been awarded the ‘Best AI-Powered Legal’ Platform title at the seventh Bespoke Global Legal (BGLS) IP & Litigation Summit in Dubai, in recognition of its use of technology to create legal news, insights and professional resources more accessible to the legal community.

Rakeshh Kumar SV, Director of Strategic and Alliance Ventures (Middle East & Africa) at The Law Reporters received the award on behalf of the organisation, which was presented by Janhavi Bhanushali of Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), Svetlana Ashchepkova of Clareum Labs and Henzie Healley, a corporate and commercial lawyer.

The award was presented during the two-day summit held on September 21 and 22 at the Millennium Plaza Downtown Hotel in Dubai, which had the theme “Innovation Meets Governance: Charting the Future of IP, AI & Dispute Resolution”. The event brought together more than 300 legal, corporate and technology professionals to discuss developments reshaping the legal sector.

The summit covered discussions on artificial intelligence and intellectual property ownership, legal technology in dispute resolution, machine-generated works, digital assets, regulatory compliance and the use of technology to improve legal operations.

TLR also played a role in the summit’s discussions on the changing skills required within the legal profession. Rakeshh Kumar was a panellist in the session on “Building Future-Ready Legal Teams: AI Training & Workforce Upskilling”, alongside legal and technology professionals from the UAE and international organisations.

The session focussed on how legal teams could respond to rapid technological change through training, new working methods and the development of skills suited to increasingly technology-driven legal services.

The summit’s speakers included Charles Shaban, Chief Representative Officer, MENA, at the International Trademark Association (INTA); Rita (Al Semaani) Jansen, Partner at WFW; Dr Amol Mahulkar, Head of Intellectual Property Services at Airbus; and Sanil Khatri, Principal at Baker & McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore.

Other sessions explored patent challenges in emerging technologies, litigation funding, legal technology for digital litigation practices, AI in dispute resolution, arbitration involving crypto and digital assets and technology-enabled management of construction claims and other disputes.

The conference also covered regulatory and compliance developments, workforce diversity and the changing legal responses to evolving family structures.

The recognition comes as legal publishing and professional information platforms increasingly adopt artificial intelligence and other digital technologies to improve how users access, navigate and engage with legal information.

For TLR, the award highlights its focus on combining legal journalism with technology-led presentation and access to information for professionals operating in the UAE, the wider Middle East and international markets.

The Abu Dhabi Labour Court of First Instance has ordered a company to pay Dh237,581 to a former employee who worked for it for more than 18 years and was dismissed without receiving his end-of-service and annual leave entitlements.

The employee filed a lawsuit seeking Dh224,081 in end-of-service gratuity and a further Dh13,500 as payment for one year of annual leave, in addition to legal fees and expenses.

According to the case details, the employee said he had worked for the company for several years on a basic salary of Dh13,500 and a total monthly salary of Dh17,300. He claimed that the company terminated his employment without settling the financial benefits due to him.

Court Examines Length Of Service

The court found that the employee had completed 18 years, one month and 11 days of service with the company. It said a full-time employee who has completed at least one year of continuous service is entitled to end-of-service gratuity when employment ends. The gratuity is calculated on the basis of the employee's basic wage, at the rate of 21 working days' wage for each of the first five years of service and 30 working days' wage for each additional year.

Applying the calculation to the employee's period of service, the court determined that he was entitled to Dhs224,081 in end-of-service gratuity.

Annual Leave Entitlement

The court also considered the employee's claim for payment for one year of annual leave. It held that payment for annual leave days is calculated on the basis of the basic wage rather than the employee's total salary. As there was no evidence before the court that the company had paid the amount due for the claimed leave entitlement, the employee was awarded Dh13,500.

The court therefore ordered the company to pay the employee a total of Dh237,581, covering his end-of-service gratuity and annual leave entitlement, along with the applicable fees and expenses.