Four-year COVID event dispute: Woman wins court battle for refund

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

After a four-year dispute stemming from a cancelled event during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Civil Court has ordered an event management company to reimburse a Bahraini woman BD460.

The woman had engaged the company to organise a reception for her mother in 2020, which was subsequently cancelled due to the pandemic.

Despite a previous court order, the company had only refunded BD160.

According to the woman's lawyer, the event, including a reception and buffet totalling BD460, was cancelled due to pandemic-related circumstances.

The company, however, returned only BD160 despite repeated requests.

The defendant argued they had fulfilled their obligations and pointed to a Consumer Protection Department ruling in their favour, which they claimed exonerated them.

They stated they had refunded BD160 and promised to credit the remaining BD300 for a future event.

When questioned about invoicing discrepancies, the defendant acknowledged handwritten notes made by their employee.

The court recognised that while contracts typically require mutual consent for termination, both parties' actions implicitly terminated the agreement, evident from the cancelled event and partial refund.

As a result, the court ruled in favour of the claimant, granting her entitlement to the remaining balance of the payment.