Dubai: A former employee of retail and property giant Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Group has won over Dh35 million from the company in Dubai Courts.
Hadef and Partners, the law firm that represented the unnamed senior officer, said in a statement that the Court of Appeal judgment was a record in the UAE and marked a victory for ‘employee justice'.
"The claim was issued in July 2009 following the arbitrary dismissal of a senior officer of the company," the firm said. "The employee claimed various heads of compensation pursuant to contractual rights that had been specifically negotiated by the parties."
Lawyers at Hadef and Partners, Abdul Rahman Juma and Clare Raven said that the judgment — which was for a total of Dh35,390,026 — would help employees in Dubai understand that they are protected by the courts.
"This is a great decision. The legal system needs to provide certainty and parties who negotiate specific contractual terms should have the confidence that they can recover their entitlement through the courts. This is an excellent outcome for Dubai as an international workplace," they said.
A company spokesman for Majid Al Futtaim Holding LLC commented: "We will appeal today's decision. The Court of First Instance ruled against the claimant and we will now take the case to the higher court. We believe our case is strong and we will vigorously defend the rights of the company. The appeal ruling is not final and still subject to the ultimate review of the Court of Cassation."
The news comes a week after Nakheel — the property developer — lost a court case on a $3.25 million bonus payout to its former chief executive, Chris O'Donnell.
