Cheo Ming Shen v Tiah Ewe Tiam: Breach of Contract Dispute Over CEO Tenure at Netccentric Pte Ltd

Cheo Ming Shen sued Tiah Ewe Tiam in the High Court of Singapore, alleging breach of contract. The dispute arose from discussions regarding Tiah's resignation from Netccentric Pte Ltd (NCL). Cheo claimed Tiah agreed Cheo would remain CEO for three years, a claim the court rejected. The court dismissed Cheo's claim, finding no contract existed between Cheo and Tiah regarding Cheo's CEO tenure.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court

1.2 Outcome

Plaintiff's case is dismissed with costs.

1.3 Case Type

Civil

1.4 Judgment Type

Judgment

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Breach of contract case where Cheo Ming Shen sued Tiah Ewe Tiam, alleging breach of an 'over-arching agreement' regarding Cheo's tenure as CEO. The court dismissed Cheo's claim.

1.7 Decision Date

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party NameRoleTypeOutcomeOutcome TypeCounsels
Cheo Ming ShenPlaintiffIndividualClaim DismissedLost
Tiah Ewe TiamDefendantIndividualJudgment for DefendantWon

3. Judges

Judge NameTitleDelivered Judgment
Choo Han TeckJudgeYes

4. Counsels

Counsel NameOrganization
Francis Chan Wei WenRajah & Tann Singapore LLP
Yuen Djia Chiang JonathanRajah & Tann Singapore LLP
Louisa LeowRajah & Tann Singapore LLP
Pillai Pradeep GPRP Law LLC
Simren Kaur SandhuPRP Law LLC

4. Facts

  1. Cheo Ming Shen and Tiah Ewe Tiam were co-founders of Netccentric Pte Ltd (NCL).
  2. A rift developed between Cheo Ming Shen and Tiah Ewe Tiam.
  3. Cheo Ming Shen claimed Tiah Ewe Tiam agreed Cheo would remain CEO for three years if Tiah received sufficient compensation to resign as COO.
  4. Tiah Ewe Tiam denied agreeing to the specific term that Cheo Ming Shen would remain CEO for three years.
  5. Cheo Ming Shen resigned as CEO of NCL.
  6. Cheo Ming Shen commenced an action against Tiah Ewe Tiam for breach of contract.

5. Formal Citations

  1. Cheo Ming Shen v Tiah Ewe Tiam, Suit No 244 of 2017, [2018] SGHC 199

6. Timeline

DateEvent
Netccentric Pte Ltd founded with Cheo Ming Shen and Tiah Ewe Tiam as co-founders.
Netccentric was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Rift between Cheo Ming Shen and Tiah Ewe Tiam.
Cheo Ming Shen sent an email to Tiah Ewe Tiam outlining terms for Tiah's exit.
Written agreement signed between NCL and Tiah Ewe Tiam.
Board meeting recorded that Cheo Ming Shen's resignation was not a decision that he came to by himself.
Cheo Ming Shen tendered his resignation as the CEO of NCL.
Cheo Ming Shen commenced action against Tiah Ewe Tiam.
Trial began (August 30-31, September 4 and 7).
Judgment reserved.

7. Legal Issues

  1. Breach of Contract
    • Outcome: The court found that no contract existed between the plaintiff and the defendant regarding the plaintiff's tenure as CEO and dismissed the claim.
    • Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

  1. Damages
  2. Loss of transport allowances

9. Cause of Actions

  • Breach of Contract

10. Practice Areas

  • Commercial Litigation

11. Industries

  • Online marketing
  • Social media

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

  • Over-arching agreement
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Chief Operating Officer
  • Netccentric Pte Ltd
  • Exit process
  • Redundancy package

15.2 Keywords

  • Breach of contract
  • CEO tenure
  • Netccentric
  • Cheo Ming Shen
  • Tiah Ewe Tiam

17. Areas of Law

Area NameRelevance Score
Breach of Contract90
Contract Law85
Company Law40

16. Subjects

  • Contract Law
  • Corporate Law