UAE: Employer to pay Dh70,000 for beating maid, breaking her ribs

An Al Ain employer who was convicted of beating up her housemaid badly and breaking her ribs, has been instructed to pay her Dh70,000 for the injuries.

Al Ain Appeals Court upheld an ruling of the Court of First Instance that ordered the woman to pay the compensation to her maid for assaulting her, breaking two of her ribs and damaging her backbone.

Official court documents stated that the housemaid had filed a civil lawsuit against her female employer demanding that she pays her Dh100,000 in compensation for the physical, material and moral damages she suffered as a result of the beatings.

The maid said in her lawsuit that she was working for her sponsor in Al Ain and while performing her housework, his wife, the defendant in the case, assaulted her.

She said the woman hit her badly in the stomach, chest and in the ribs and other parts of the body.

The maid noted that the employer also hit her in the face and threw several blows to her eyes.

The woman had earlier been convicted in the criminal court and fined Dh2,000 after she was found guilty of assaulting the maid.

Court advised the maid to file a civil lawsuit against the woman to claim for compensation.

The maid had also presented to court a medical report to support her claims.

A forensic report by a doctor assigned by the first Instance court had confirmed that the maid sustained fractures to her two ribs, and fractures to her vertebrae column (back bone) due to the beatings.

The report said the maid also faced difficulties in movement and bending and that she also suffered from lower back pain that constituted a permanent disability. The doctor estimated the disability at 20 per cent.

The medical report also proved that the loss of vision in both the maid’s eyes was a result of chronic diseases she suffered from. The doctor said the maid didn’t suffer from brain injuries or skull fractures.

The Civil Court of First Instance had earlier ruled that the sponsor’s wife must pay the maid Dh70,000 in compensation for the damages in addition to paying her legal expenses.

The employer challenged the ruling in the appeals court which has maintained the first ruling by the lower court.

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• Abu Dhabi