Abu Dhabi court awards AED10,000 compensation for public verbal abuse

The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Court ruled that a young man must pay another man AED10,000 in compensation for the moral and psychological harm he suffered after being insulted and spat at in the street. In detail, a young man filed a lawsuit against another, seeking AED50,000 in full and final compensation for all the moral, psychological and material damages that he and his family allegedly suffered as a result of the defendant’s actions. He also sought court fees, litigation expenses and legal interest at a rate of 12% annually. He stated that the defendant insulted him, used offensive language against him and spat at him in a public street. As a result, he filed a criminal case, and a penal order was issued against the defendant. He argued that the incident caused him both material and moral harm. The court stated that it was established from the case file, investigation records and submitted documents that the defendant directed words at the plaintiff that offended his reputation and exposed him to contempt, without attributing any specific incident to him. The defendant also spat in his direction while they were on a public road. The court noted that the defendant had been convicted by way of a penal order and fined AED3,000, in addition to being ordered to pay court fees. Regarding the claim for moral compensation, the court stated that, based on the case file, investigation records and the penal order issued against the defendant, it was satisfied that he had committed the act attributed to him by insulting the plaintiff and directing words at him that tarnished his honour and reputation. The court found that these actions caused moral harm to the plaintiff, including psychological pain, sadness and distress, as well as the humiliation, damage to his dignity and reputation, and contempt to which he was subjected. It held that these were compensable harms affecting his feelings and reputation. Accordingly, it ordered the defendant to pay the plaintiff AED10,000 in compensation. The court rejected the claim for material damages because the case file contained no evidence that the plaintiff had suffered any financial loss as a result of the defendant’s actions. It also ordered the defendant to pay the fees and expenses and dismissed all other claims.