Woman Ordered to Pay BD1,889 in Salon Partnership Row

TDT | Manama

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A woman has been ordered to pay BD1,889.930, rather than the over BD13,000 sought against her, after a man claimed he had been drawn into a beauty salon partnership without ever receiving any profit.

Lawyer Sayed Ali Mahfoodh said the High Civil Court ruled that his client owed only the sum proven through actual transfers, not the full BD13,079 claimed by the man.

The claimant told the court he had been brought into the salon on the understanding that he would be a partner and would share in its earnings. He said the woman had led him to believe she was the sole partner in the business and that she wanted him to join her in running it.

He said he sent her money, but no partnership or written deal was ever signed. According to his claim, she kept putting off the paperwork, saying the steps needed for the deal were still being completed.

The man said witnesses had seen her receive the money, while signed papers and bank transfers also showed sums paid to her and to the landlord of the premises where the salon was based.

He added that he had received no earnings from the salon and later checked its commercial registration, finding that it did not allow her to carry out work linked to investing other people’s money.

He said he had been misled and cheated, and that the woman later brought in another partner instead of him. A police complaint over alleged fraud remains under inquiry.

The court said witness accounts showed that a 50pc partnership had arisen between the two sides in the salon, before it was brought to an end after disputes between them.

It found that the partnership was tied to a salon that was later expanded, and that the later row between the two sides was rooted in personal differences.

The court said the case papers showed that the claimant had paid money to the woman for the partnership. It also noted that she had admitted before the court expert and in her defence papers that she owed him money, first saying the amount was BD900 and later BD800.

Her son, who appeared as a defence witness, said sums ranging between BD1,000 and BD1,300 were owed to the claimant in relation to rent for the shop.