UEB v UEC: Appeal on Child and Wife Maintenance under Women's Charter

In the case of UEB v UEC, before the Family Justice Courts of Singapore, the husband, UEB, appealed against the District Judge's orders regarding maintenance for the child and the wife, UEC, under Section 69 of the Women's Charter. The High Court dismissed the appeal concerning the child's maintenance of $3,000 per month, finding it reasonable given the husband's income. However, the court allowed the appeal against the wife's maintenance of $500 per month, citing a lack of basis as her income exceeded her expenses. The court adjusted the arrears payment to $33,000 to reflect the decision regarding the wife's maintenance.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

Family Justice Courts of the Republic of Singapore

1.2 Outcome

Appeal dismissed in part and allowed in part.

1.3 Case Type

Family

1.4 Judgment Type

Ex Tempore Judgment

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Appeal regarding child and wife maintenance under the Women's Charter. The court dismissed the appeal against child maintenance but allowed the appeal against wife maintenance.

1.7 Decision Date

13 February 2018

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party Name	Role	Type	Outcome	Outcome Type	Counsels
UEB	Appellant	Individual	Appeal dismissed in part	Partial	Ho Chee Jia of Eversheds Harry Elias LLP Koh Tien Hua of Eversheds Harry Elias LLP
UEC	Respondent	Individual	Appeal allowed in part	Partial	Hong May Leng of Lexton Law Corporation

3. Judges

Judge Name	Title	Delivered Judgment
Debbie Ong	Judge	Yes

4. Counsels

Counsel Name	Organization
Ho Chee Jia	Eversheds Harry Elias LLP
Koh Tien Hua	Eversheds Harry Elias LLP
Hong May Leng	Lexton Law Corporation

4. Facts

The Husband appealed against the District Judge’s orders on maintenance sought under s 69 of the Women’s Charter.
The District Judge ordered the Husband to pay $3,000 per month as maintenance for the Child.
The District Judge ordered the Husband to pay $500 per month as maintenance for the Wife.
The Wife earns $7,174 per month, and the Husband earns $19,949 per month.
The Husband was also ordered to pay arrears for unpaid maintenance totalling $38,500 and a one-time payment of $3,723.30.

5. Formal Citations

UEB v UEC, HCF/District Court Appeal No 65 of 2017, [2018] SGHCF 5

6. Timeline

Date	Event
2017-01-01	District Court Appeal filed
2018-02-14	Judgment delivered

7. Legal Issues

Child Maintenance
- Outcome: The court dismissed the appeal against the child maintenance order, finding the $3,000 per month to be reasonable.
- Category: Substantive
Wife Maintenance
- Outcome: The court allowed the appeal against the wife maintenance order, finding no basis for it as her income exceeded her expenses.
- Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

Appeal against maintenance orders

9. Cause of Actions

Maintenance Application

10. Practice Areas

Family Law
Divorce Law

11. Industries

No industries specified

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
Women’s Charter (Cap 353, 2009 Rev Ed)	Singapore

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

Maintenance
Child Maintenance
Wife Maintenance
Women's Charter
Mortgage Instalments
Arrears

15.2 Keywords

Family Law
Maintenance
Child
Wife
Appeal
Singapore
Women's Charter

17. Areas of Law

Area Name	Relevance Score
Family Law	95
Maintenance	90
Child Support	85
Maintenance (Wife)	70
Mortgages	30

16. Subjects

Family Law
Maintenance