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Codification of Judgments and Judicial Precedents
Short summaries of officially published Saudi judgments, arranged by area and year, with the principle they establish and a link to the official source. We never copy judgments in full or name the parties.
Judgments
These summaries are general information to help you understand how courts approach issues. The judgments predate later laws such as the Civil Transactions, Evidence and Personal Status laws; every case turns on its facts and a past judgment is no substitute for a lawyer's advice.
JudgmentsReal Estate1435H
Sale of unregistered land: proving the sale does not prove ownership
Two buyers sought to prove their purchase of unregistered land from a seller who later fell unconscious; his guardian acknowledged the sale. The court found the sale proven through receipts in the seller's handwriting and the buyers' supplementary oath, stating the judgment does not establish ownership, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: Proving that a sale took place does not substitute for proving title to unregistered land.
Court
General Court, Damad · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 1 · p. 16
Sale of a house mortgaged to the Real Estate Development Fund after the seller's death
A woman claimed she bought from her late husband a house mortgaged to the housing fund and assumed the remaining loan. The court proved the sale through the heirs' admission and testimony, ordered her to pay the minor heir's share of the forgiven loan, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: A buyer who assumed the property loan owes its value, and a minor heir's share is protected when the loan is forgiven.
Court
General Court, Riyadh · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 1 · p. 22
Buying a co-owner's share in a house paid by cheque
A co-owner claimed he bought his partner's share and paid by cheque; the defendant denied the sale, saying the cheque repaid a debt. The court proved the sale by two upright witnesses and ordered transfer of the share, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: Credible witness testimony proves a sale even if the other party claims the payment settled a debt.
Court
General Court, Khamis Mushait · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 1 · p. 27
Heirs sought to compel a neighbour to reopen a road agreed with their late father; he admitted the road ran through his land but denied the agreement. The right of way was proven by the sale deed, an expert inspection and testimony, he was ordered to reopen it, and the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment.
Principle: A right of way is proven by the sale deed, inspection and testimony, and once proven the owner may not close it.
Court
General Court, Madinah · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 5 · p. 6
Title (istihkam) deed within the urban boundary despite municipal objection
An applicant sought to prove title to land his father had revived before the cut-off; the municipality and finance objected, arguing the revival was recent. Title was proven by two upright witnesses and the experts' report, the objection was set aside, and the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment.
Principle: Revival before the cut-off date can be proven by credible testimony and expert evidence; a bare objection does not defeat it.
Court
General Court, Al-Namas · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 5 · p. 27
Annulment for a defect: the right lapses on acceptance after knowledge
A husband sought annulment because his wife could not bear children and had concealed her age, with return of the dowry and compensation. The court dismissed the claim because they had settled after he learned of the defect, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: A spouse who learns of a defect and then accepts it, expressly or by conduct, loses the right to seek annulment.
Court
General Court, Al-Khobar · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 9 · p. 6
Annulment for the husband's medically proven infertility
A wife sought annulment because her husband was infertile and had not told her; a medical report proved it and he could not show she knew before the marriage. The court annulled the marriage against consideration, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: A medically proven defect permits annulment unless the husband proves the wife knew of it before the contract.
Court
General Court, Hail · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 9 · p. 11
A wife sought annulment because of her husband's mental illness and ill-treatment; he denied it and missed the hearings, and a hospital report diagnosed schizophrenia. The court annulled the marriage in absentia without consideration, and the Court of Appeal approved it.
Principle: A medically proven mental illness causing harm allows the wife to seek annulment without consideration.
Court
General Court, Al-Khurmah · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 9 · p. 17
Appointing a waqf administrator when beneficiaries disagree
A beneficiary asked for her brother to be appointed administrator of a waqf after the previous one was removed, as the beneficiaries could not agree. The judge established the waqf's assets and beneficiaries by deeds and testimony, appointed the candidate as fit, set his fee at a tenth of the income, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: When beneficiaries disagree, the judge appoints the fittest administrator after verifying the waqf's assets and beneficiaries, and sets the administrator's fee.
Court
General Court, Taif · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 7 · p. 6
Request to add a waqf administrator refused where court-appointed administrators exist
A beneficiary asked to be added as administrator alongside the current ones because he administered a linked waqf. The judge refused because existing administrators had been appointed by a court in line with the founder's condition, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: The founder's condition governs; no administrator is added while those appointed under it are in place.
Court
General Court, Madinah · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 7 · p. 23
Fatal run-over: intent not proven, ruled accidental killing
The prosecution charged the accused with intentionally killing the victim by running him over; he admitted the collision but denied intent, saying a crowd blocked his view. Evidence did not prove intent and the forensic report supported an accident, so the court ruled it an accidental killing, left the penalty to the competent authority, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: Retribution requires intent proven by conclusive evidence; otherwise the killing is treated as accidental.
Court
General Court, Jeddah · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 10 · p. 6
Possession of prohibited pills: quantity alone does not prove intent to deal
The accused admitted possessing prohibited pills for personal use and denied intent to deal; the prosecution's only evidence of dealing was the large quantity. The court convicted him of possession for use, imposed a discretionary penalty and a travel ban, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: Intent to deal must be proven by evidence; a large quantity seized is not enough on its own.
Court
Criminal Court, Makkah · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1435H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 12 · p. 6
Manufacturing defect in a car: rescission and refund
A buyer claimed a manufacturing defect in a car bought from a company, which blamed poor maintenance; the experts' report found the defect stemmed from a diagnostic error by the dealer. The court ordered the company to refund the price and dismissed the claim beyond that, and the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment.
Principle: Where a defect is proven, the buyer may keep the item with compensation for the defect or rescind the sale; experts may be used to assess the defect.
Court
General Court, Dammam · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1434H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 1 · p. 27
Interior fit-out contract: refund of payments exceeding the work done
The owner claimed sums paid for incomplete and late décor and furnishing works; the expert found the payments exceeded the value of the work performed. The court ordered the contractors to refund part of the sums received, and the judgment was upheld on appeal.
Principle: What is due under a works contract is measured by the value of the work actually done; any excess is refunded.
Court
General Court, Riyadh · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1434H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 8 · p. 5
Construction claim: a plea of payment without proof
A contractor claimed the value of works; the owner admitted part of them and pleaded payment without evidence, and declined the oath. The court ordered him to pay the amount, and the judgment was upheld.
Principle: The burden of proof lies on the claimant and the oath on the one who denies; a party pleading payment must prove it.
Court
General Court, Tabuk · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1434H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 8 · p. 11
Construction contract with undefined specifications: void, no penalty clause
The owner sought to compel completion of a building and a delay penalty; the court held the contract void because its specifications were unknown, so it had no effect, and the judgment was upheld on appeal.
Principle: Gross uncertainty about the subject of a contract voids it, so neither performance nor its penalty clause can be enforced.
Court
General Court, Hail · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1434H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 8 · p. 15
Retracted confession of drug use and conviction for bare possession
A narcotic was found in the accused's pocket and he denied the charge in court, retracting his confession. The court convicted him of possession without proven intent based on testimony and imposed a discretionary penalty, postponed the trial of an absent co-accused, and the Court of Appeal upheld it.
Principle: Retracting a confession affects proof of drug use, but possession proven by testimony still supports a conviction for bare possession.
Court
Criminal Court, Hail · Upheld on appeal
Source
Collection of Judicial Rulings 1434H, Ministry of Justice (Research Center) · Vol. 19 · p. 9
An official Board of Grievances publication collecting the judicial precedents in its administrative judgments from 1402H to 1436H, arranged in chapters and available in full as a PDF on the Board's site (Arabic).
Annual collections published by the Board of Grievances of the principles established by the High Administrative Court, starting with the 1439–1441H collection, with a principle search on the Board's site (Arabic).
Publisher: Board of Grievances, High Administrative Court
Published judicial rulings at every level, grouped as final first-instance rulings, Court of Appeal rulings and Supreme Court rulings, each with its number, court, city and date. (Arabic).
Publisher: Ministry of Justice, Legal Portal (laws.moj.gov.sa)
The Board of Grievances' official page for its codifications, published under Article 21 of the Board of Grievances Law: collections of the judgments and principles of the Board's courts by year, including English, French and Chinese translations of administrative principles and judgments.
Publisher: Board of Grievances, Technical Affairs Office
Two collections published by the Board of Grievances of its commercial judgments and principles: 1408–1423H in twelve volumes with indexes, and 1424–1427H (Arabic).
Identify the type of dispute and the competent court (commercial, labour, personal status, or administrative before the Board of Grievances).
Search the right source using keywords from your facts and the statutory article in dispute.
Read the full judgment, check its date, whether it was upheld on appeal, and whether the law changed afterwards.
Every case turns on its own facts: a past judgment is guidance, not a substitute for a lawyer reviewing your file.
This library never reproduces judgments or principles attributed to a court unless they come from the official published source, and links you to it directly.
Library content is simplified general information for awareness only. It is not legal advice and does not replace the official text. Laws change: always check the official source and consult a lawyer before acting. Library data last reviewed: .
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