A woman's bid to secure child's identity crumbles as RAK court dismisses paternity claim

The First Personal Status Circuit of Ras Al Khaimah Court of First Instance dismissed a claim of lineage filed by a woman in which she requested the court to obligate the defendant to register a young child as his son and obtain the necessary supporting documents for him including a passport, ID card and health card.

The court also ordered the plaintiff to pay the incurred court expenses.

Earlier, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit in which she stated that a relationship had developed between her and the defendant, which resulted in her giving birth to a child in late 2025.

In her lawsuit, the plaintiff alleged that the defendant was the biological father of the child and that he had initially acknowledged him and promised to marry her and formalise the relationship, but that he later reneged on his promises and refused to acknowledge the child’s paternity after he was born.

In contrast, the defendant appeared in person before the court and categorically denied the child’s lineage to him, denying any marital relationship, legal connection or prior acquaintance with the plaintiff.

The court stated that the burden of proof lay with the claimant and that the plaintiff failed to provide any conclusive evidence or plausible circumstantial evidence to support her claim that the child was the defendant’s son or to prove the existence of a valid marriage and cohabitation.

The court noted that upon reviewing the birth certificate attached to the case file, it was found that the father’s name was listed as unknown, which would negate the validity of the claim.

The court added that the plaintiff’s statements were devoid of any basis and lacked any legal evidence or material proof required by the Personal Status Law to establish lineage, stressing that the case was based merely on unsubstantiated statements that did not rise to the level of judicial certainty.

Based on the plaintiff’s inability to prove any of the legal foundations of lineage, whether marital, acknowledgment or evidence, the court concluded that the case lacked legal basis and ruled to dismiss it and obligate the plaintiff to pay the expenses.