DEM v DEL

[2025] SGCA 1 Court of Appeal 3 January 2025 CA/CA 24/2024 29 min read
19 cases cited (18 SG, 1 foreign)

Outcome

Appeal dismissed

We therefore dismissed the appeal with costs fixed in the aggregate sum of $50,000, with the usual order for payment out of security.

Source: [2025] SGCA 1, Court of Appeal, decided 3 January 2025. Read directly from the judgment.

Key facts

Court Court of Appeal
Decided
Judges Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Steven Chong, Sundaresh Menon
Charges / claim Arbitration
Outcome Appeal dismissed
Sentence / award $50,000
Counsel Chua & Partners LLP, Tang Thomas LLC, Joshua Thomas Raj, Sheryl Lauren Koh Quanli, Siddartha Bodi, Tan Pang Leong Nicholas, Vigneesh s/o Nainar

Source: [2025] SGCA 1, Court of Appeal, decided — eLitigation. Updated .

Catchwords

Practice Areas

Judges (3)

Counsel (7)

Parties (2)

Case Significance

[2025] SGCA 1 is a Court of Appeal decision dated 3 January 2025 concerning Arbitration, specifically addressing recourse against award. The judgment was delivered by Steven Chong, with Belinda Ang Saw Ean and Sundaresh Menon on the coram. The case was brought by DEM (appellant) against DEL (respondent). Legal representation was provided by Chua & Partners LLP and Tang Thomas LLC. The judgment cites 19 cases (18 Singapore, 1 foreign) and references 1 statutory provision, namely the Arbitration Act.

[2025] SGCA 1 explained

DEM v DEL ([2025] SGCA 1) is a Singapore judgment decided by the Court of Appeal on 3 January 2025. It is categorised under Arbitration. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.

What is [2025] SGCA 1 about?

DEM v DEL ([2025] SGCA 1) is a Court of Appeal decision from 2025. Its published catchwords are “Arbitration — Recourse against award — Breach of natural justice”, “Arbitration — Recourse against award — Lack of proper notice — Whether actual or deemed notice of the arbitration was provided”, and “Arbitration — Recourse against award — Infra petita — Whether infra petita challenges should be rationalised as natural justice challenges — Whether a non-participating party can bring an infra petita challenge”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Which legislation does [2025] SGCA 1 consider?

The judgment refers to Arbitration Act (Cap 10). The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

What earlier Singapore cases does [2025] SGCA 1 cite?

Among the in-corpus authorities it refers to are [2024] SGHC 80. The complete list of cases cited, and of later cases that cite this decision, is shown on this page.

Summary

DEM appealed against the dismissal of his application to set aside an arbitral award arising from a dispute over the sale of a franchised enrichment centre under a Business Purchase Agreement. The appellant argued he was not properly served with the notice of arbitration and that the arbitrator failed to consider whether there was consideration for the BPA as against him (infra petita challenge). The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, finding the appellant had notice of the arbitration but chose not to participate, and the lack of consideration argument was misconceived in any event.

What was decided in [2025] SGCA 1?

[2025] SGCA 1 (DEM v DEL) is a Court of Appeal decision from 3 January 2025 addressing Arbitration, specifically recourse against award. The judgment was delivered by Steven Chong.

Who were the parties in DEM v DEL ([2025] SGCA 1)?

The appellant in [2025] SGCA 1 was DEM, and the respondent was DEL. Legal representation included Tang Thomas LLC and Chua & Partners LLP. The case was decided on 3 January 2025 in the Court of Appeal.

Which judge decided [2025] SGCA 1?

[2025] SGCA 1 was delivered by Steven Chong in the Court of Appeal on 3 January 2025. Belinda Ang Saw Ean and Sundaresh Menon also sat on the coram. The case concerned Arbitration.

What cases and statutes does [2025] SGCA 1 cite?

[2025] SGCA 1 cites 19 prior decisions, including 1 from foreign jurisdictions. It references Arbitration Act.

Statutes Cited

Cases Cited (19)

SLR (15)
[2009] 2 SLR(R) 332 [2011] 4 SLR 305 [2012] 4 SLR 98 [2013] 4 SLR 1169 [2013] 4 SLR 972 [2014] 4 SLR 79 [2015] 3 SLR 488 [2017] 5 SLR 184 [2018] 2 SLR 1311 [2018] 2 SLR 532 [2020] 1 SLR 695 [2020] 5 SLR 1250 [2021] 1 SLR 390 [2022] 5 SLR 393 [2024] 1 SLR 1283
UK (1)
[2017] EWHC 2208

Related cases

Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.

Referenced in

Statutes interpreted in this judgment

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.

Read on eLitigation

Source: eLitigation ([2025] SGCA 1)