Dh1.12m lawsuit over cashed Porsche fails in Dubai court

Dubai: The Dubai Civil Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a car rental company seeking Dh1.12 million in damages from an insurance provider and another rental firm after a luxury Porsche was destroyed in a major crash caused by a man who had rented the vehicle, Emarat Al Youm reported.

Court documents revealed that the plaintiff company had bought the Porsche and insured it under a comprehensive policy issued by the first defendant. The car was then leased to another rental company — the second defendant — which later subleased it to a European man.

According to the police report, the driver was under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred. The plaintiff sought Dh820,000 in compensation for the total loss of the vehicle and an additional Dh300,000 for loss of income and deprivation of use.

In its defence, the insurance company argued that the case was inadmissible as the plaintiff had not referred the dispute to the Insurance Dispute Resolution Committee before filing the lawsuit. It also claimed it was not the actual insurer, stating that the policy had been issued by its head office in another emirate.

Meanwhile, the second defendant — the rental firm — denied any liability, saying the car was in the possession of the sublessee at the time of the crash.

The court appointed a technical expert, who confirmed that the Porsche had been involved in a severe collision that left it beyond repair. The expert valued the car at Dh800,000 at the time of the accident, with a scrap value of Dh140,000, concluding that the vehicle had suffered a total technical loss. The expert also recommended adding the driver to the case as the direct cause of the accident.