UAE: Chef ordered to return Dh25,000 he took from woman to start restaurant business – News

The woman also demanded an additional payment of Dh50,000 to compensate for the material and moral damage she suffered

An Al Ain chef who took money from a resident after he convinced her he would start a joint restaurant business with her, which never happened, has been directed to return Dh25,000 to the woman.

The Al Ain Civil Appeal Court upheld an earlier lower court ruling ordering the chef to repay the woman Dh25,000.

The woman has filed a lawsuit against the chef, demanding that he return the Dh250,000 he collected from her to open the restaurant. She also seeks Dh50,000 in compensation for the material and moral damage she has suffered.

The woman said the defendant convinced her he was an excellent cook and had extensive experience in the culinary field. She said the man also told her that he had a large following on social media and that if she invested in the restaurant project, she would receive huge profits in return.

She said the chef asked her to contribute Dh250,000 to finance the restaurant project and that he would manage the food outlet, which she agreed to.

The plaintiff explained that she met with the defendant at the attorney’s office and handed him the cash in an envelope in the presence of some witnesses.

She said the chef had promised to meet at the same office another day to sign a collaboration contract, but he did not carry out the agreed project. She added that when she tried to demand the chef return the cash, he refused, forcing her to take him to court.

In his defense, the chef claimed he only received Dh25,000 from the woman, not the Dh250,000 she claimed in the lawsuit.

His lawyers argued that the police report in the criminal case confirmed a verbal agreement between the pair to pay in installments based on project needs, so the woman’s claim – without evidence – should not be considered.

The report of the accounting expert appointed by the civil court of first instance revealed that there was no written agreement in the documents submitted by the parties to the court to explain the nature of their business relationship, and the rights and obligations of each party. .

The report concluded that the plaintiff gave the defendant some money to open a restaurant, but did not record the amount she gave to the chef.

The Al Ain Civil Court of First Instance had earlier instructed the defendant to take a supplementary oath as to whether she had only received Dh25,000 from the plaintiff instead of Dh250,000, which the plaintiff did.

The judge then ruled that the defendant should repay Dh25,000 to the plaintiff and dismiss all other claims as insufficient evidence.

The woman challenged the appeal to the Court of Appeal, which upheld the lower court’s first decision.