Cooper Carry Sued In U.S. Over Dubai Court Judgment Against The Firm
A United Arab Emirates-based developer wants a U.S. court to enforce a judgment of more than $200K against Cooper Carry for failing to complete signage and design work on an open-air mall in Dubai.
Muzoon Holdings is suing the Atlanta-based architectural and design firm in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for payment after courts in Dubai found the firm fell short on its work for Esplanade, a mixed-use retail space.
In the suit, Muzoon alleges that the dispute arose in 2019 when the developer discovered that Cooper Carry “failed to provide certain services” on a contract for the UAE mall’s design, including design work on wayfinding signage, architectural site visits and lighting-related design site visits totaling $199K.
Muzoon said it asked for a refund for the alleged shortcomings in the firm’s work. By June 2019, however, Muzoon sued Cooper Carry in Dubai court, accusing the firm of breaching its contract, according to the U.S. lawsuit. Cooper Carry attempted to dismiss the lawsuit and countersued for more than $160K, according to court documents.
Ultimately, the Dubai court found Cooper Carry liable and added 5% for attorney fees, pushing the total judgment to over $200K. An appeals court in Dubai later upheld the verdict, according to court documents.
Smith, Gambrell & Russell partner Christopher Smith and Senior Associate Wheaton Webb, representing Muzoon, claim in the U.S. lawsuit that Cooper Carry is trying to have it both ways by suing Muzoon in the Dubai court and questioning the legitimacy of the ruling.
“Despite asserting its own claims (albeit unsuccessfully) against Muzoon, Cooper Carry contends that the Dubai Court proceedings were invalid,” Smith and Webb wrote in the U.S. lawsuit.
A Cooper Carry spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the firm “disputes the allegations, as well as the characterization of events, stated in the petition.”
A message to Smith was not immediately returned. Cooper Carry is considered the city’s largest architecture firm, with gross revenues of $86.9M, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Esplanade is a 140K SF shopping center next to the luxury retail behemoth Mall of the Emirates in the Al-Barsha area of Dubai. Muzoon began work on the project in 2007. Tenants include Applebee’s, IHOP and Grandiose Supermarket, according to the website Bayut.
