Dubai: The Dubai Court of Cassation has ruled that divorce settlement agreements voluntarily signed by Muslim couples in court are final and legally binding, and cannot be challenged after they have been officially recorded by the court.
The judgment establishes an important legal principle for personal status cases, confirming that agreements reached by mutual consent before the trial court or appellate court cannot later be altered or annulled through legal appeals.
The ruling came after a husband appealed against a divorce settlement in which he had agreed to pay his former wife AED 125,000 in compensation and related financial entitlements. He later claimed that he was unable to fulfil the agreement, did not understand the language used during the proceedings and had been pressured into signing the settlement.
After reviewing the case, the Court of Cassation rejected the appeal, ruling that the agreement had been entered into voluntarily. The court also ordered the husband to pay the legal costs of the case and imposed a fine.
The court dismissed the argument that the husband did not understand the language, noting that certified legal translation services were available during the court proceedings. It concluded that there was no basis for judicial intervention once both parties had voluntarily accepted the settlement.
Legal experts explained that the court’s role in recording divorce settlement agreements is administrative in nature, formally documenting the mutual agreement reached by both parties rather than creating a new legal obligation.
The decision is expected to serve as an important judicial reference for future Muslim personal status cases involving divorce settlements in Dubai.
