Lim Jen Lin v Energy Market Company: Claim for Unpaid Remuneration and Bonuses

In Lim Jen Lin v Energy Market Company Pte Ltd, the High Court of Singapore heard an appeal by Ms. Lim Jen Lin against the Assistant Registrar's decision to dismiss her application for specific discovery of documents in her suit against Energy Market Company Pte Ltd for alleged unpaid remuneration and bonuses. Ms. Lim claimed breach of contract and misrepresentation, alleging a promised annual salary of $302,000. The court, presided over by Justice Choo Han Teck, found Ms. Lim's submissions unmeritorious and dismissed the appeal, awarding costs to the defendant.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court

1.2 Outcome

Appeal dismissed with costs to the defendant.

1.3 Case Type

Civil

1.4 Judgment Type

Grounds of Decision

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Lim Jen Lin sued Energy Market Company for unpaid remuneration and bonuses based on misrepresentation and breach of contract. The court dismissed the appeal.

1.7 Decision Date

14 October 2014

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party Name	Role	Type	Outcome	Outcome Type	Counsels
Lim Jen Lin	Plaintiff, Appellant	Individual	Appeal Dismissed	Lost
Energy Market Company Pte Ltd	Defendant, Respondent	Corporation	Appeal Dismissed	Won	Pan Xingzheng Edric, June Hong

3. Judges

Judge Name	Title	Delivered Judgment
Choo Han Teck	Judge	Yes

4. Counsels

Counsel Name	Organization
Pan Xingzheng Edric	Rodyk & Davidson LLP
June Hong	Rodyk & Davidson LLP

4. Facts

Plaintiff claimed defendant promised to pay her at least $302,000 a year.
Plaintiff alleged she would not have left ChevronTexaco but for this agreement.
Defendant disputed this, stating the employment contract specified $220,000 per annum.
The employment contract was a letter of appointment dated 28 November 2003.
Plaintiff sought specific discovery of 15 classes of documents.
The Assistant Registrar rejected the plaintiff’s application for specific discovery in all but one group.

5. Formal Citations

Lim Jen Lin v Energy Market Company Pte Ltd, Suit No 4 of 2011(Registrar's Appeal No 93 of 2014), [2014] SGHC 199

6. Timeline

Date	Event
2003-11-28	Letter of appointment dated
2003-12-01	Plaintiff signed employment contract
2004-03-01	Plaintiff joined Energy Market Company Pte Ltd
2004-03-02	Letter from the defendant to the plaintiff
2005-12-01	Plaintiff resigned from Energy Market Company Pte Ltd
2011-01-05	Plaintiff commenced Suit No 4 of 2011
2012-12-19	Plaintiff took out Summons No 6503 of 2012 for specific discovery of documents
2014-03-03	Summons for specific discovery heard by the Assistant Registrar
2014-04-21	Registrar’s appeal heard
2014-06-30	Appeal fixed for hearing
2014-08-18	Registrar’s appeal heard
2014-10-15	Judgment reserved

7. Legal Issues

Specific Discovery of Documents
- Outcome: The court dismissed the plaintiff's appeal for specific discovery, finding her submissions unmeritorious and speculative.
- Category: Procedural
Breach of Contract
- Outcome: The court did not make a determination on the breach of contract claim itself, as the appeal concerned a procedural matter (discovery).
- Category: Substantive
Misrepresentation
- Outcome: The court did not make a determination on the misrepresentation claim itself, as the appeal concerned a procedural matter (discovery).
- Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

Unpaid Remuneration
Unpaid Bonuses

9. Cause of Actions

Breach of Contract
Misrepresentation

10. Practice Areas

Commercial Litigation

11. Industries

Energy

12. Cited Cases

Case Name	Court	Affirmed	Citation	Jurisdiction	Significance
No cited cases

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute Name	Jurisdiction
No applicable statutes

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

Specific Discovery
Employment Contract
Remuneration
Bonuses
Misrepresentation

15.2 Keywords

contract
employment
discovery
remuneration
bonus

16. Subjects

Contract Law
Civil Procedure

17. Areas of Law

Civil Procedure
Contract Law
Discovery