Woman ordered to repay Dh225,000 after WhatsApp messages confirm debt

The Abu Dhabi Court for Family, Civil and Administrative Claims has ordered a woman to repay Dh225,000 she borrowed from a young man after her debt was established through bank transfers and WhatsApp messages exchanged between them. The court also ordered her to pay Dh10,000 in compensation for damages he suffered as a result of her failure to repay the amount. According to court records, the man filed a lawsuit seeking repayment of Dh225,000 and Dh20,000 in compensation. He also asked the court to order the defendant to pay legal interest, fees, expenses and lawyer's fees. He told the court that the defendant had approached him for a loan due to financial difficulties. At her request, he transferred a total of Dh225,000 to her account in two instalments, Dh150,000 and Dh75,000. The plaintiff said the defendant had acknowledged receiving the money and had promised to repay it, as evidenced by WhatsApp messages exchanged between them. However, she failed to repay the amount despite repeated requests, he said. To support his claim, he submitted copies of bank transfer records and social media conversations. In its ruling, the court said the case file, supporting documents and electronic conversations showed that the defendant did not dispute receiving the money or the total amount transferred to her. The court noted that while she acknowledged receiving the funds, she failed to provide any evidence that she had repaid the debt or otherwise settled her liability. It also found that her statements before the court contradicted the content of the electronic conversations. The defendant neither challenged the authenticity of the messages nor submitted evidence to undermine their validity or prove that their contents were inaccurate. Although she appeared before the court, she did not present a substantive defence regarding the debt or its amount, the ruling said. Based on the evidence presented, the court concluded that the defendant remained indebted to the plaintiff for the claimed amount. Regarding compensation, the court said the defendant's failure to repay the loan constituted a fault that caused both moral and material harm to the plaintiff. The court found that he suffered psychological distress and grief, as well as financial losses, including being deprived of his money and related earnings. It ruled that the damages were established and that a direct causal link existed between the harm suffered and the defendant's conduct. The elements of civil liability were therefore met, the court said. The court ordered the defendant to pay the plaintiff Dh225,000, in addition to Dh10,000 in compensation. It also ordered her to pay fees and expenses, while rejecting all other claims.