Hong Kong Court of Appeal embraces modern test for penalty clauses following UK Supreme Court in Cavendish when considering employer’s right to enforce termination notice provision

In a notable judgment (Law Ting Pong Secondary School v Chen Wai Wah [2021] CA 873), the Hong Kong Court of Appeal (CA) has adopted the modern approach to penalty clauses handed down in the UK Supreme Court in Cavendish Square Holding BV v Talal El Makdessi [2016] AC 1172. The recent appellate decision has … Read more

HONG KONG: UNLAWFUL DISMISSAL REINSTATEMENT RIGHTS FROM OCTOBER

Amendments to the Employment Ordinance (“EO“) which strengthen the Labour Tribunal’s (“LT“) powers to make an order for reinstatement or re-engagement where an employee has been unreasonably and unlawfully dismissed have been passed and are to take effect from 19 October 2018. This represents a move away from the current position where both the employer … Read more

Supreme Court decision clarifies basis for the award of Wrotham Park damages

We discussed aspects of “Wrotham Park damages” (also called “license fee damages” or “negotiating damages”) in Herbert Smith Freehills Hong Kong office’s recent Contract Disputes Seminar “Getting your just deserts: remedies for breach of contract”. To recap, in some cases where there has been a breach of contract, instead of awarding damages calculated on the … Read more