The Abu Dhabi Commercial Court of First Instance has ordered a woman to pay Dh407,137 to a car rental company after breaching her financial obligations under a vehicle rental contract. The amount covers unpaid rent, bounced cheques, traffic fines and road tolls, as well as vehicle repair costs and other charges stipulated in the contract.The car rental company filed a lawsuit against the woman, seeking Dh407,137 plus late-payment interest. It also requested Dh5,000 to cover the cost of an expert consultant’s report, in addition to court fees, expenses and legal costs. The company supported its claim with a vehicle rental contract dated January 24, 2025, and the vehicle’s registration documents.In its ruling, the court stated that a lease is a contract under which the lessor allows the lessee to benefit from a specified asset for a fixed period in return for an agreed rental fee. The court noted that the accounting expert’s report confirmed that the two parties had entered into a vehicle rental agreement with a monthly rental fee of Dh20,000.The court found that the rental company had fulfilled its contractual obligations, while the defendant had failed to meet hers. She did not pay the agreed rent and issued eight bounced cheques with a combined value of Dh160,000, in addition to cheque return fees of Dh16,000.The defendant was also found liable for traffic fines, road tolls, vehicle repair costs, excess mileage charges, maintenance fees, the cost of issuing a replacement key, and seven days’ rent accrued after the contract expired. These amounts were included in the final account settlement between the two parties.The court noted that the expert’s report concluded that the total amount owed by the defendant under the contract was Dh407,137. It said the findings were based on sound technical and accounting principles and were consistent with the statement of account submitted by the plaintiff.The court ordered the defendant to pay Dh407,137, plus annual interest of 5% until full settlement of the debt, provided the interest does not exceed the principal amount. It also ordered her to pay Dh5,000 for the preparation of the expert accounting report, court costs and Dh200 in legal fees. All other claims were dismissed.
