The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Court ordered a man and a woman to jointly pay Dh30,000 in compensation to a delivery worker. The pair had previously been convicted in a criminal case of assaulting the worker while he was on duty and endangering his life.

The two defendants were fined a total of Dh48,000 in the criminal case. Together with the Dh30,000 awarded in the civil case, the total fines and compensation arising from the incident reached Dh78,000.

The delivery worker filed a civil lawsuit seeking Dh50,000 in compensation for physical, financial, psychological and moral harm, as well as transport expenses, lost income, legal costs and other losses.

He said the incident occurred while he was carrying out his duties. The first defendant raised the car window while his hand was trapped, and the second defendant drove away at high speed, causing the worker to be dragged along the ground and injured.

The worker said the incident left him severely frightened, humiliated and with his dignity harmed. An electronic payment device belonging to his employer was also damaged during the incident.

The two defendants were convicted in a criminal case following the incident.

During the civil proceedings, the worker and the first defendant appeared in court in person, while the second defendant did not attend the hearing. The first defendant submitted a defence memorandum, and the court also recorded that a memorandum had been filed on behalf of the second defendant.

The first defendant disputed the part of the compensation claim relating to deductions from the worker’s salary, arguing that the documents submitted by the claimant did not correspond with the date of the incident.

The court also asked the worker whether he had suffered any injuries other than those recorded in the medical report, and he said he had not.

According to the judgment, the criminal court sentenced both defendants to one month in prison and fined each Dh20,000 on the first charge.

The first defendant was also sentenced to one month in prison on the second charge, with the sentence to be served under electronic monitoring. The defendant was also fined Dh3,000 for that charge and a further Dh5,000 for a third charge.

One of the charges involved conduct that endangered the worker’s life. The court found that the first defendant closed the car window on the worker’s hand, while the second defendant drove off dangerously.

The court also found that the first defendant kicked the worker’s hand, causing injuries documented in the medical report. The injuries left the worker unable to carry out some personal activities for a period not exceeding 20 days.

The first defendant also threw the electronic payment device to the ground, damaging it and rendering it unusable.

The court said the acts established by the final criminal judgment formed the basis of the civil lawsuit, and that the criminal ruling proved the wrongdoing on which the compensation claim was based.

According to the ruling, the worker suffered moral harm from the damage to his dignity and feelings of humiliation, in addition to physical injuries and a temporary inability to carry out personal activities.

The court ultimately ordered the two defendants to jointly pay the worker Dh30,000 in compensation for material and moral damages, in addition to legal fees and court costs.