WXO v WXP

Case Significance

WXO v WXP [2024] SGHCF 44 was decided in the General Division of the High Court (Family Division) on 13 November 2024 by Choo Han Teck J in Originating Summons (New Legislation) No 9 of 2024, brought in the matter of Rules 827 and 828 of the Family Justice Rules 2014 and in the matter of HCF/District Court Appeal No 40 of 2024. The applicant wife sought an extension of time to file her Record of Appeal in her appeal HCF/DCA 40/2024 against the District Judge's orders on child maintenance; that appeal had lapsed because she failed to file the Record of Appeal. Both the applicant and the respondent husband were self-represented persons. The court recorded that the applicant claimed she had filed her Record of Appeal and paid $664, showing a receipt, but the Record of Appeal could not be found in the High Court record, probably because she had filed it in the Family Courts rather than the High Court. The judgment notes that the merits of the intended appeal are the most important factor in deciding whether to grant an extension of time, and that the court will dismiss the application if the intended appeal is clearly without merit.