LOLITA TSANG v PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES OF JAMES ENG JR DECEASED

Case Significance

Tsang Lolita v Personal Representatives of Eng James Jr, deceased [2024] SGHC 151 was a reserved judgment of the General Division of the High Court of Singapore delivered by Choo Han Teck J on 12 June 2024, in Originating Claim No 143 of 2022, after hearings on 15 to 17 April and 30 May 2024. James Eng Jr, an American who lived in Hong Kong, died on 10 September 2018 at the age of 76; his wife, Mrs Eng, had died on 11 December 2011. Their daughter, Allison Nicole Eng, an alternate executor, represented Eng's estate in the action brought by Lolita Tsang. Tsang, aged 64 and 18 years younger than Eng, had carried on a romantic relationship with Eng that began in 2005, despite both being married to others. The dispute concerned whether an inter vivos gift was validly made: Tsang claimed S$8,500,000 from the estate on the basis that Eng had executed a deed of gift on 7 November 2016 to transfer that sum to her, which she said was unfulfilled. The estate challenged the validity and enforceability of the deed and counterclaimed S$8,195,757.58, being the balance in Tsang's Hong Leong bank account. The catchwords addressed whether there was an intention to benefit the recipient and whether the gift was sealed or delivered. Tsang was represented by Robert Wang & Woo LLP and the estate by CNPLaw LLP.