Kazakh Man Ordered to Pay Millions After Leaving Joint Business

In Taraz, a court ordered a man to pay over 3.7 million tenge after he stopped participating in a joint business. The defendant insisted he was merely an employee, reports infohub.kz.

According to the official Telegram channel of the Zhambyl Regional Courts, the Taraz City Court considered a civil case brought by a limited liability partnership (LLP) against the defendant for the recovery of funds.

In April 2025, the parties signed a joint activity agreement in the field of motor vehicle repair. The plaintiff provided premises, purchased and handed over tools and necessary equipment for work, totaling 7.7 million tenge.

The defendant's contribution was the direct performance of truck repair work. Profits from the activity were distributed as follows: 40% each to the plaintiff and the defendant, and 20% allocated for repair and maintenance of equipment.

However, the defendant subsequently stopped coming to work without providing a written notice one month in advance. The LLP repeatedly notified him of the violations, and later sent a notice of contract termination. The defendant did not deny receiving the notices.

When filing the lawsuit, the company demanded the recovery of 50% of the value of the property it had purchased, as stipulated by the contract.

The defendant did not admit the claim. He explained that he considered the contract to be an employment agreement. However, he confirmed signing the agreement and receiving 40% of the profits.

The court established that no employment contract was concluded between the parties, but the defendant received a share of the profits from the joint activity. The termination of the contract occurred due to a material breach of its terms by the defendant. Moreover, the parties had initially voluntarily agreed on the consequences of such termination: according to the contract, the defendant is obliged to pay the LLP 50% of the value of the property purchased by the company.

By the court's decision, 3.7 million tenge was recovered from the defendant in favor of the LLP, as well as the state fee. The decision has entered into legal force.