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Mother of mine, you gave to me...

It doesn’t matter how old a person gets, when the chips are down they will always want their mum — even if they have to go through the courts to make it happen.

The Abu Dhabi Court has two cases before it where adult sons have sought a court order entitling them to meet their mothers.

The first story involves a man in his 40s who says his youngest brother has barred him from seeing their mother.

When their father passed away while the siblings were still boys, he shouldered responsibility for bringing up his younger brothers. The plaintiff looked after the family, as their father left behind enough funds for the whole family. Since he was the eldest son, he took charge of the responsibility until his brothers grew up, completed their education, and got married.

As the brothers became adults, the plaintiff asked his youngest brother to remain with their mother and look after her, as all her children had married. This was a normal request, as the youngest was the final brother to get married. This situation ensued, but the plaintiff was unpleasantly surprised some time later when his youngest brother filed a Dh2 million lawsuit against him, as the proxy of his mother, accusing him of squandering his mother’s money. In the lawsuit, the brother demanded the return of the Dh2 million, which he was accused of illegally taking from the old woman, as well as the house.

The man argued he had used the funds with the knowledge of his mother, who was aware all the money had been spent on the family.

He tried to visit his mother to discuss the issue, but his brother denied him access and prevented him from even talking with their mother.

The eldest brother had requested his mother’s testimony many times, but her lawyer said it was she who filed the case though her health condition would not allow her to appear in the courtroom.

The man surrendered to the court’s order and paid the money to his brother in silence, while the rest of his brothers remained tight-lipped and neutral. Though, the case was over, and he kept paying the amounts in installments, the man still wanted to see his mother. He said his brother refused to allow him access, claiming that it was their mother’s desire. The plaintiff said he was convinced the claim was not true, as he had never been in a fight with his mother or even exchanged cross words. The man returned once again to court, pleading for help to enable him see his beloved mum.

The second story relates to a man in his 20s, who had never seen his mother as she abandoned him immediately after he was born.

Seeing his mother was the man’s dream, and he longed for a reunion, travelling to the country in order to track her down.

Months passed while he was in Abu Dhabi before he managed to track the woman down, but he was shocked when his mother’s family refused to allow him to meet her, throwing him out once he made his request to meet the woman who had given birth to him. They told him that she did not want him nor want to see him, asking him to return to his home country and leave his mother alone.

The man did not believe the words of his mother’s family and requested to hear the woman say so herself — but was refused. The man’s last resort was to turn to the courts, seeking an order allowing him to see his mother.

There has not yet been an outcome released in either case.

This story has been published in conjunction with Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.

news@khaleejtimes.com