WLL v WLM

[2023] SGHCF 30 High Court (Family Division) 23 June 2023 HCF/DT 4401/2021

3 cases cited Cited by 1 case

Key facts

Court	High Court (Family Division)
Decided	23 June 2023
Judge	Choo Han Teck
Charges / claim	Family Law
Counsel	Bih Li & Lee LLP, Kalco Law LLC, Cheryl Tan Wee Tim, Julian Koh Zhen Yang, Tee Lee Lian, Trent Ng Yong En

Source: [2023] SGHCF 30, High Court (Family Division), decided 23 June 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Family Law — Procedure — Costs

Practice Areas

Family Law

Judges (1)

Choo Han Teck Delivered

Counsel (6)

Bih Li & Lee LLP Firm Kalco Law LLC Firm

Cheryl Tan Wee Tim Counsel for the plaintiff

Julian Koh Zhen Yang Counsel for the defendant

Tee Lee Lian Counsel for the defendant

Trent Ng Yong En Counsel for the plaintiff

Parties (2)

WLL Plaintiff

WLM Defendant

Case Significance

WLL v WLM [2023] SGHCF 30 is a costs decision of Choo Han Teck J in the General Division of the High Court (Family Division), delivered on 23 June 2023 in Divorce Transferred No 4401 of 2021. The parties, referred to as the Husband and the Wife, obtained an interim judgment of divorce on 16 February 2022, and in the substantive ancillary judgment of 3 April 2023 ([2023] SGHCF 19) the court made no order for the Wife's maintenance but ordered the Husband to pay her $1,467,516.56 as her share of the matrimonial assets. On costs, counsel for the Husband relied on an offer to settle dated 29 August 2022, served under r 446 of the Family Justice Rules 2014, by which the Husband had offered to pay the Wife $1,840,000.00 for the division of matrimonial assets, contending he had obtained a judgment not less favourable than the offer.

Summary

This was a decision on costs following a divorce in which the court had earlier ordered the husband to pay the wife $1,467,516.56 as her share of matrimonial assets, with no order for her maintenance. The husband, having made an offer to settle of $1,840,000 that the wife did not accept, sought indemnity costs, while the wife argued no costs order should be made. Choo Han Teck J assessed costs on a standard basis and fixed them at $25,000 inclusive of disbursements, payable by the wife to the husband.

What was WLL v WLM [2023] SGHCF 30 about?

It was a reserved costs ruling by Choo Han Teck J, delivered on 23 June 2023, following the divorce ancillary judgment in which the Husband was ordered to pay the Wife $1,467,516.56 for the division of matrimonial assets, with no maintenance ordered.

What offer to settle featured in WLL v WLM [2023] SGHCF 30?

The Husband relied on an offer to settle dated 29 August 2022, served under r 446 of the Family Justice Rules 2014, offering the Wife $1,840,000.00 for the division of matrimonial assets, arguing his $1,467,516.56 judgment was not less favourable.