Abu Dhabi: Man ordered to pay Dh50,000 for stealing woman’s laptop

The Abu Dhabi Civil Family and Administrative Court has ordered a man to pay a woman Dh20,000 in compensation for stealing her personal laptop, bringing the total financial penalty to Dh50,000 after he was previously fined Dh30,000 in a criminal ruling, Emarat Al Youm reported.

According to case documents, the woman filed a civil lawsuit seeking Dh21,399 in compensation for material and moral damages, stating that the defendant took her laptop through fraudulent means. The criminal court convicted him in absentia and issued a final, binding judgment imposing a Dh30,000 fine, after which he failed to appear before the civil court.

In its ruling, the civil court said the criminal judgment had “res judicata effect”, making the defendant’s wrongdoing conclusively proven and preventing further debate over liability. The court found that the theft directly caused both material and moral harm to the claimant, fulfilling all legal elements of civil responsibility, including fault, damage and causation.

The court ordered the defendant to pay Dh20,000 in civil damages, in addition to legal fees, and dismissed all other claims.