A surgeon who sued a hotel after slipping inside its restaurant has walked away empty-handed, with an Abu Dhabi court finding he had no proof to back his account.
The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil, and Administrative Cases Court dismissed the doctor’s demand for AED 300,000 in material and moral compensation, along with his bid to recover fees, expenses, and attorney’s costs from the hotel’s management, according to Gulf Today.
The plaintiff told the court he had checked in as a guest and was on his way into the restaurant when he went down on a floor he described as dirty. By his account, he was at the property to take part in an evening medical seminar at the time of the fall. He pointed to negligence on the hotel’s part, arguing it had failed to maintain safe conditions and had not posted any warning signage.
The surgeon, who said he practices at a hospital in the UAE, claimed the incident left him with a serious muscle tear and bleeding that called for emergency care. He described lasting physical and psychological harm as a result.
The fall kept him off his feet to the point that he could not carry out his duties, he said, and left him unable to exercise for three months. During that stretch he relied on injections and painkillers, according to his statement.
He further maintained that the hotel never disputed what happened or the liability flowing from it. As evidence of what he viewed as the management’s inadequate handling of the matter, he cited an email he received offering him a complimentary dinner for two.
Weighing the case, the court concluded the surgeon’s claims rested on assertions he had not substantiated.
