Kigali court rejects RWF 60,000 printing claim over unproven delivery of 200 labels
This report covers a fictional proceeding argued and decided inside Legal Arena.
The order note established the price and deposit, but did not record how many labels changed hands. Messages about a missing pack did not independently settle the count either.
Read the original in-game verdictThe decision
The Primary Court in Kigali rejected Aline Ingabire’s claim for the RWF 60,000 balance on a printing order, finding that she had not proved delivery of both packs of labels. The court ordered no payment from Eric Ndayisaba.
The dispute turned on whether Ndayisaba received all 200 labels he ordered for his snack business. Ingabire said she handed over two packs of 100; Ndayisaba said he received only one.
The court's reasons
The court accepted that the parties agreed on 200 labels for RWF 100,000, with RWF 40,000 paid in advance and the remaining RWF 60,000 due on delivery. But the order note did not record how many labels were handed over, so it could establish the deal’s terms without proving that the payment condition had been met.
The judge considered Ingabire’s account that she delivered both packs, but Ndayisaba disputed it and there was no independent handover confirmation. His messages supported that he raised a concern about the missing labels; they did not independently establish the quantity received.
Because Ingabire was seeking the payment order, the unresolved delivery count counted against her claim. The court stressed that rejecting it was not a finding that Ndayisaba had proved he received only one pack.
The parties' submissions
Ingabire relied on the order note and her account of handing over both packs. She acknowledged that the note did not record the handover count and that she had no separate delivery record, but maintained that she had completed the order.
Ndayisaba asked the court to reject the claim, pointing to the absence of a count document or other proof that both packs were delivered. He said his message praising the labels concerned their appearance, not confirmation that he had received all 200.
The background
After paying the deposit and collecting the order, Ndayisaba sent a message saying the labels looked good. He said he counted them the next morning, found 100 and asked about the missing pack.
The judgment leaves the exact quantity received unresolved. It also says the record provided no basis to calculate a different payment or establish another remedy.