Woman Wins Four-Year Legal Battle Against Event Planning Company

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

A Bahraini woman has triumphed in a four-year legal battle against an event planning company. The woman had contracted the company to organise a reception for her mother in 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company refused to return the full amount of the payment, prompting the woman to take legal action.

According to the woman's lawyer, her client had hired the company to organise a reception and buffet for her mother for a total of 460 Bahraini Dinars. However, the event was cancelled due to the pandemic and the contract was subsequently terminated. The claimant demanded the full refund, but the company only returned 160 Dinars, refusing to return the remaining balance. Despite repeated requests and notifications, the company remained unresponsive, forcing the woman to file a lawsuit.

The case was heard in court with both parties present, represented by their respective solicitors. The defendant argued that they had fulfilled their contractual obligations and that the claimant had previously filed a complaint with the Consumer Protection Department regarding the same issue, resulting in a ruling in favour of the defendant. This ruling, they argued, established their innocence.

The court, however, ordered an interrogation of the defendant, who claimed that they had returned 160 Dinars to the claimant and that the remaining 300 dinars could be used for another event. When questioned about the invoice attached to the documents, the defendant confirmed that the handwritten notes were made by one of their employees.

The court, citing Article 1 of the Evidence Law, which states that "the creditor must prove the obligation, and the debtor must prove its discharge," ruled in favour of the claimant. The court also acknowledged that while contracts generally require mutual consent for termination, parties can agree to terminate a contract through explicit or implicit agreement.

The court concluded that the actions of both parties constituted an implicit termination of the contract, as evidenced by the cancellation of the event and the partial refund provided by the defendant. Therefore, the court ruled that the claimant was entitled to the remaining balance of the payment.

The Civil Court has ordered the defendant to reimburse the claimant for the remaining balance, bringing an end to the four-year legal battle.