DUBAI // A former senior officer at Majid Al Futtaim Group has been awarded more than Dh35 million for arbitrary dismissal - one of the largest payouts granted by a Dubai court in an employment case.
The judgment was handed down by the Court of Appeals after a lower court ruled against the claimant.
The former employee, who no longer lives in the UAE, sought compensation for arbitrary dismissal and other contractual entitlements.
"It's good to see the Court of Appeals be bold enough to hand down a decision like this to uphold contractual rights," said Clare Raven, a lawyer with Hadef & Partners who worked on the case.
Ms Raven said the "complex" case was initially filed in 2009 and took an unusually long time to move through the courts.
While "this is an incredibly large sum of money to be received anywhere and particularly so here", Ms Raven said, the claimant initially asked for a larger sum.
A spokesman for Majid Al Futtaim said the company would appeal against the decision after an official judgment was issued within the next few weeks.
"The Court of First Instance ruled against the claimant and we will now take the case to the higher court," the spokesman said.
"We believe our case is strong and we will vigorously defend the rights of the company. The appeal ruling is not final and is still subject to the ultimate review of the Court of Cassation."
Ms Raven said the Court of Cassation should only take up the appeal if the Court of Appeals had applied the law wrongly.
The court would not reconsider the facts of the case, she said, but it might refer the case back to the lower court for review.
Majid Al Futtaim Group's portfolio includes shopping centres, hotels and recreational services.
The company operates the Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre, Ski Dubai, the indoor family entertainment centre Magic Planet and Carrefour in the Middle East.
jthomas@thenational.ae
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
RIDE%20ON
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66