DMF v DMG

[2025] SGHC(I) 12 Singapore International Commercial Court 17 April 2025 • SIC/OA 26/2024|SIC/OA 27/2024 • 97 min read
34 cases cited (21 SG, 13 foreign)

Catchwords

Res Judicata — Issue estoppel Abuse of Process — Inconsistent positions Arbitration — Arbitrability and public policy Arbitration — Arbitral tribunal — Jurisdiction Res Judicata — Extended doctrine of res judicata Abuse of Process — Henderson v Henderson doctrine Contract — Contractual terms — Rules of construction Civil Procedure — Foreign law — Foreign law to be determined by submissions — Order 16 rule 8 of Singapore International Commercial Court Rules 2021

Practice Areas

Res Judicata Abuse of Process Arbitration Contract Civil Procedure

Judges (1)

Simon Thorley Delivered

Counsel (7)

Allen & Gledhill LLP Firm Fullerton Law Chambers LLC Firm Corina Song Counsel Respondent Daniel Liang Counsel Respondent KarLuis Quek Counsel Respondent Raymond Ong Counsel Applicant Thomas Benjamin Lawrence Counsel Respondent

Parties (2)

DMF Applicant DMG Respondent

Summary

DMF challenged the jurisdiction of a SCMA arbitral tribunal, which had found by majority that DMF was a party to a charterparty. The SICC dismissed both applications — OA 26 seeking to reverse the tribunal's jurisdiction ruling and OA 27 seeking declarations that the arbitration was non-arbitrable or unenforceable on public policy grounds — finding the tribunal's jurisdiction decision was correct and there was no basis for the non-arbitrability claim.

Statutes Cited

Arbitration Act (Cap 10)
s 47
International Arbitration Act (Cap 143A)
s 11
Legal Profession Act (Cap 161)
Malaysian Courts of Judicature Act
s 24(b)
Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Cap 322)
UK Act
s 20(2) s 21(4)

Cases Cited (34)

SG (2)
[2023] SGCA 31 [2025] SGHC 31
SLR (19)
[1997] 3 SLR(R) 649 [2006] 1 SLR(R) 358 [2007] 1 SLR(R) 453 [2008] 2 SLR(R) 491 [2013] 1 SLR 125 [2014] 1 SLR 130 [2014] 1 SLR 860 [2015] 5 SLR 1104 [2016] 1 SLR 966 [2016] 5 SLR 536 [2017] 2 SLR 760 [2017] 3 SLR 357 [2018] 2 SLR 159 [2019] 1 SLR 732 [2020] 1 SLR 1296 [2021] 1 SLR 1102 [2021] 1 SLR 342 [2024] 1 SLR 56 [2025] 1 SLR 272
UK (13)
[1937] AC 473 [1971] 1 WLR 1381 [1976] 1 Ch 63 [1976] 1 WLR 989 [2002] 1 AC 251 [2002] 2 AC 1 [2004] 1 AC 919 [2011] 1 WLR 2900 [2014] AC 160 [2015] AC 129 [2017] UKSC 48 [2021] 1 WLR 1123 [2022] EWCA Civ 230

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.

Read on eLitigation

Source: eLitigation ([2025] SGHC(I) 12)