A Dubai civil court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a man seeking to annul a villa he gifted in 2006 to his second wife and their two daughters, or alternatively recover the property or its value.
The claimant, who filed the case in January, said he had transferred ownership of a villa built on a residential plot in Dubai as a gift to his second wife and daughters. He argued that the gift had been made under psychological pressure from his second wife and violated the principle of equality among his seven children from his first marriage.
The man claimed he had required his wife not to dispose of the property, but the couple divorced in 2021. He alleged that she sold the villa in 2025 without his consent, prompting him to seek annulment of the gift or recovery of the property or its value.
The defendants asked the court to dismiss the case, citing that more than 15 years had passed since the gift contract was executed and registered in 2006, at which point legal ownership had transferred to them. They also said the sale to a third party in April 2025 was lawful, supported by a unified sale contract issued by the Dubai Land Department.
The defendants submitted documents, including the sale contract and correspondence showing the claimant had been aware the property was gifted to his daughters.
In its ruling, the court noted that under the Civil Transactions Law, a gift constitutes the transfer of property without compensation and becomes effective once received. Registration of the gift contract in the real estate registry transfers ownership and establishes legal status.
The court further emphasized that gifts between spouses or to close relatives cannot be revoked once the recipient takes possession. It added that the recipient’s subsequent sale of the property creates an additional legal barrier preventing the donor from revoking the gift.
