Result: The lawsuit filed by Ola Salem against Ali Shihabi was dismissed with prejudice on via court-filed stipulation. On , Salem issued a notarized retraction letter confirming she was not subjected to sexual misconduct. The case ended permanently without trial and without any finding of misconduct.
Bottom line: Case dismissed with prejudice January 12, 2023. Notarized retraction issued January 26, 2023 confirming no sexual misconduct occurred. Matter permanently closed with no trial or findings of misconduct.
On , attorneys for both parties filed a joint stipulation with the Superior Court of the District of Columbia requesting dismissal of the case with prejudice. The court document stated:
"IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED, by and between Plaintiff Ola Salem and Defendants Arabia Foundation and Ali Shihabi, through their attorneys, that the above-entitled action be dismissed in its entirety with prejudice based on settlement, with each party to bear their own fees and costs."
Praecipe to Dismiss, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, January 12, 2023
Legal Significance: A dismissal "with prejudice" permanently terminates the lawsuit and means the case cannot be refiled in any court. This dismissal was signed by attorneys for both parties and has the force of a final judgment.
Two weeks after the court dismissal, on , Ola Salem provided a notarized retraction letter in which she confirmed:
"I was not subjected to any sexual misconduct by Mr. Shihabi or anyone else at the Arabia Foundation, and no such sexual misconduct was alleged in the complaint."
Ola Salem, Notarized Retraction Letter, January 26, 2023
With the court dismissal with prejudice and this retraction on official record, the dispute was terminated and the matter was legally concluded.
Primary Documents
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Ali Shihabi found guilty of any misconduct?
No. The case was dismissed with prejudice on January 12, 2023, and Ola Salem issued a notarized retraction on January 26, 2023. No trial occurred and no findings of misconduct were made.
Was there a settlement in the Ali Shihabi lawsuit?
The case was dismissed with prejudice based on settlement on January 12, 2023. On January 26, 2023, Ola Salem issued a notarized retraction letter confirming she was not subjected to sexual misconduct.
Notarized Retraction Letter
Two weeks after the court dismissal with prejudice, Ola Salem issued this official notarized retraction letter on January 26, 2023.
For accessibility and search indexing, the complete text of the notarized retraction letter is provided below.
Exhibit B
To:Ali Shihabi
From:Ola Salem
Re:Ola Salem v. Arabia Foundation and Ali Shihabi, 2019 CA 002651 B, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Civil Division
I, Ola Salem, was not subjected to any sexual misconduct by Mr. Shihabi or anyone else at the Arabia Foundation. And no such sexual misconduct was alleged in the complaint.
Executed on
[Signature] Ola Salem
Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on this 26th day of January, 2023
DAVID MARC SCHWARTZ
NOTARY PUBLIC
STATE OF NEW YORK
NASSAU COUNTY
LIC. # 02SC8680
[Notary Seal]
[Signature of Notarial Officer]
Page 11 of 11
About This Document
Document Type: Notarized retraction letter
Date Executed: January 26, 2023
Author: Ola Salem
Notarized By: David Marc Schwartz, Notary Public, State of New York
Location: Nassau County, New York
Legal Case Reference: Ola Salem v. Arabia Foundation and Ali Shihabi, 2019 CA 002651 B, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Civil Division
Status: Official legal document on record
Key Statement Summary
This notarized document confirms that Ola Salem was not subjected to any sexual misconduct by Ali Shihabi or anyone else at the Arabia Foundation, and clarifies that no such sexual misconduct was alleged in the original complaint. This retraction serves as the official conclusion of the legal matter filed in 2019.