The Claimant Normand was an individual residing in Dubai, the UAE.

The Defendant Nestor was, an individual residing in Dubai, the UAE.

The Claimant was seeking payment from the Defendant for work performed of AED 8,750.

The Claimant relied on the signed agreement dated 9 May 2024 which stated: “This is to confirm that I Nestor owe Mr Normand a sum of AED 8,750 against Inv. for the project completed in Dubai. Mr Normand has requested for a cash payment against this invoice and we have agreed this payment to be made no later than 10th May 2024”

RDC 53.2 requires that the SCT hear only cases that fall “within the jurisdiction of the DIFC Courts”. The jurisdiction of the DIFC Courts was s determined by Article 5(A) of Dubai Law No. 12/2004, as amended which provided a number of limited gateways through which the DIFC Courts had jurisdiction over a claim.

For cases to be heard in the SCT, first, they must first fall within the DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction by engaging any of the jurisdictional gateways set out in the abovementioned Article.