Abu Dhabi court awards delivery worker Dh30,000 after assault by man and woman

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Court has ordered a man and a woman to jointly pay Dh30,000 in compensation to a delivery worker after they were convicted of assaulting him and endangering his life while he was on duty. The pair had been fined a total of Dh48,000 in the criminal case, bringing the combined fines and compensation arising from the incident to Dh78,000. The delivery worker filed a lawsuit seeking Dh50,000 in compensation for physical, material, psychological and moral harm, as well as transport expenses, lost earnings, fees and other losses. He said the incident occurred while he was carrying out his work. The first defendant closed a vehicle window on his hand, while the second defendant drove the vehicle at high speed, causing him to be dragged along the ground and injured. The worker said the incident left him feeling terrified, humiliated and that his dignity had been violated. An electronic payment machine belonging to his employer was also damaged. The two defendants were subsequently convicted over the incident. During the civil proceedings, the worker and the first defendant appeared in person, while the second defendant did not attend. The first defendant submitted a defence memorandum, and the court also recorded that a memorandum had been filed by the second defendant. The first defendant disputed part of the compensation claim relating to a salary deduction, arguing that the documents submitted by the worker did not correspond with the date of the incident. When the court asked the worker whether he had suffered any injuries other than those recorded in the medical report, he said he had not. According to the court's ruling, the criminal court sentenced both defendants to one month's imprisonment on the first charge and fined each of them Dh20,000. The first defendant was also sentenced to one month's imprisonment on a second charge, with the sentence to be served under electronic monitoring, and was fined Dh3,000. He was fined a further Dh5,000 on a third charge. The charges included committing an act that endangered the worker's life. The first defendant closed the vehicle window on his hand while the second drove the vehicle dangerously. The court said the first defendant also assaulted the worker by kicking him on the hand, causing injuries recorded in the medical report and leaving him unable to carry out personal tasks for a period not exceeding 20 days. He also damaged the electronic payment machine by throwing it to the ground, causing it to malfunction and rendering it unusable. The court said the acts established by the final criminal ruling formed the same basis for the civil lawsuit. The criminal judgment therefore established the wrongdoing upon which the compensation claim was based. The worker suffered physical harm through his injuries and temporary inability to carry out personal tasks, as well as moral harm arising from the violation of his dignity and feelings of humiliation, the court said. The court ordered the two defendants, jointly and severally, to pay the worker Dh30,000 in compensation for material and moral damages, as well as the fees and expenses of the lawsuit.