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Abu Dhabi court orders father to pay Dh197,680 to school over unpaid fees
The court held a woman responsible for Dh142,800 after the cheque, drawn on her account, could not be cashed because it had been prepared in a way that prevented payment
- PUBLISHED: Sat 5 Sept 2026, 1:22 PM
The Abu Dhabi Commercial Court of First Instance ordered a parent to pay Dh197,680 in fees owed for enrolling his children at a private school.
A woman whose bank account was used to issue the cheque was held jointly responsible with him for its value of Dh142,800. The two were also ordered to pay the school an additional Dh3,000 as compensation.
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According to court records, the parent enrolled his children at the private school but did not pay the tuition fees.
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A cheque covering part of the outstanding amount was later given to the school. Although the cheque was drawn on the woman's account, it could not be cashed because it had been prepared in a way that prevented payment.
The published court ruling referred to an earlier criminal case linked to the cheque. However, it did not reveal what penalty was imposed or explain how the woman was connected to the parent.
School’s position
The school filed a civil lawsuit asking for Dh197,680 from the parent. It also asked the court to hold the woman jointly responsible for Dh142,800 and to award it Dh15,000 in damages.
To support its case, the school submitted:
Invoices and account statements showing the unpaid fees
A copy of the bounced cheque
Proof that the cheque had been returned
A copy of the related criminal judgement
In her defence, the woman argued that the case against her should be thrown out because she was not involved in the dispute. The court rejected her argument.
It found that the cheque had been issued from her account in favour of the school. The court also noted that she had not provided any evidence showing she had paid the amount or was no longer responsible for it.
The parent appeared before the court but could not successfully challenge the school's evidence. He also failed to prove that the tuition fees had already been paid.
The court ordered the parent to pay the school Dh197,680. The woman was ordered to share responsibility with him for Dh142,800, which was the value of the bounced cheque.
The pair must also jointly pay Dh3,000 in compensation, plus court expenses and Dh200 in legal fees. The school's other requests were rejected by the court.