Joseph Ramanathan v Stratech Systems Ltd: Commission Dispute in Employment Contract

In a suit before the High Court of Singapore, Joseph Ramanathan, the Plaintiff, sued Stratech Systems Limited, the Defendant, for unpaid commission. The Plaintiff's claim for unfair termination was withdrawn during trial. The dispute centered on the applicable commission scheme and the amount of commission owed. The court found in favor of the Plaintiff, determining the applicable commission schemes and calculating the commission due. The court ordered the Defendant to pay the Plaintiff $62,348.70, representing the remainder of the commission owed after deducting payments already made.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court of the Republic of Singapore

1.2 Outcome

Judgment for Plaintiff

1.3 Case Type

Civil

1.4 Judgment Type

Judgment

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Singapore High Court case involving Joseph Ramanathan and Stratech Systems Ltd, concerning unpaid commission and the interpretation of employment contract terms.

1.7 Decision Date

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party NameRoleTypeOutcomeOutcome TypeCounsels
Joseph RamanathanPlaintiffIndividualJudgment for PlaintiffWon
Stratech Systems LimitedDefendantCorporationJudgment against DefendantLost

3. Judges

Judge NameTitleDelivered Judgment
Choo Han TeckJudgeYes

4. Counsels

Counsel NameOrganization
Suhaimi Bin LazimMirandah Law LLP
Chow Jian HongMirandah Law LLP

4. Facts

  1. The plaintiff was employed as a regional sales manager of the defendant from 5 April 2012 until 20 October 2014.
  2. The plaintiff was responsible for selling the Intelligent Vehicle Access Control System (iVACS) and the Intelligent Airfield/Runway Surveillance and Foreign Object and Debris Detection System (iFerret).
  3. The plaintiff's claim is for unpaid commission in the amount of $314,610.
  4. The First Commission Scheme was signed on 16 April 2012 with an effective date of 1 January 2011.
  5. The Second Commission Scheme was signed on 2 September 2013 with an effective date of 1 July 2013.
  6. The plaintiff did not achieve any sales revenue from 16 April 2012 to 31 March 2013.
  7. The amount of revenue achieved by the plaintiff from 1 April 2013 to 30 September 2014 is $10,734,625.15.

5. Formal Citations

  1. Joseph Ramanathan v Stratech Systems Ltd, Suit No 1350 of 2014, [2016] SGHC 216

6. Timeline

DateEvent
Employment Agreement signed
First Commission Scheme signed
Key Performance Indicators document executed
Effective date of the Second Commission Scheme
Emails exchanged regarding KPIs
Second Commission Scheme signed
Plaintiff summarily dismissed
Trial began
Judgment reserved

7. Legal Issues

  1. Computation of Commission
    • Outcome: The court determined the applicable commission schemes and calculated the commission due to the plaintiff.
    • Category: Substantive
  2. Interpretation of Employment Contract
    • Outcome: The court interpreted the terms of the employment contract, specifically regarding the effective date and mechanism of the commission schemes.
    • Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

  1. Monetary Damages

9. Cause of Actions

  • Breach of Contract

10. Practice Areas

  • Commercial Litigation

11. Industries

  • Technology

12. Cited Cases

Case NameCourtAffirmedCitationJurisdictionSignificance
No cited cases

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute NameJurisdiction
No applicable statutes

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

  • Commission
  • Employment Agreement
  • Sales Target
  • Key Performance Indicators
  • iVACS
  • iFerret
  • Revenue Recognition
  • Channel Partners

15.2 Keywords

  • Employment Law
  • Commission
  • Singapore
  • Contract
  • Stratech Systems
  • Joseph Ramanathan

17. Areas of Law

Area NameRelevance Score
Employment Law90
Commission70
Contract Law50
Breach of Contract40
Damages30
Termination of Employment30

16. Subjects

  • Employment
  • Contract
  • Commission