DyStar Global Holdings v. Kiri Industries: Assessment of Damages and Costs for Breach of Contract

The Singapore International Commercial Court heard the case of DyStar Global Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd against Kiri Industries Limited and others, regarding the assessment of damages and costs following a judgment finding the defendants in breach of contract. The court, presided over by Kannan Ramesh J, Roger Giles IJ, and Anselmo Reyes IJ, awarded DyStar USD 678,480.50 in damages, inclusive of interest, and S$245,877.52 for costs and disbursements. The court considered arguments related to pre-judgment interest and the reasonableness of claimed costs, ultimately ruling in favor of DyStar.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

Singapore International Commercial Court

1.2 Outcome

Judgment for the plaintiff against the First and Second defendants.

1.3 Case Type

Civil

1.4 Judgment Type

Judgment

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Judgment on assessment of damages and costs after finding Kiri Industries breached contract with DyStar Global Holdings. Court awards USD 678,480.50 and S$245,877.52 in costs.

1.7 Decision Date

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party NameRoleTypeOutcomeOutcome TypeCounsels
Kiri Industries LimitedDefendantCorporationJudgment Against DefendantLost
DyStar Global Holdings (Singapore) Pte LtdPlaintiffCorporationJudgment for PlaintiffWon
Manishkumar Pravinchandra KiriDefendantIndividualJudgment Against DefendantLost
Pravinchandra Amrutlal KiriDefendantIndividualNeutralNeutral
Kiri International (Mauritius) Private LimitedDefendantCorporationNeutralNeutral
Mukherjee AmitavaDefendantIndividualNeutralNeutral

3. Judges

Judge NameTitleDelivered Judgment
Kannan RameshJudgeNo
Roger GilesInternational JudgeYes
Anselmo ReyesInternational JudgeNo

4. Counsels

Counsel NameOrganization
Lim Dao KaiAllen & Gledhill LLP
Ling Ying Ming DanielAllen & Gledhill LLP
Margaret Joan Ling Wei WeiAllen & Gledhill LLP
Dinesh Dhillon SinghAllen & Gledhill LLP
Teh Shi YingAllen & Gledhill LLP
Eunice Lau Guan TingDrew & Napier LLC
Teng Po YewDrew & Napier LLC
Yim Wing Kuen Jimmy SCDrew & Napier LLC

4. Facts

  1. DyStar sued Kiri for breaches of the SSSA.
  2. Damages were agreed at USD 542,833.53.
  3. A daily interest rate of USD 79.05 was agreed upon.
  4. The value dates for calculating damages ranged from December 2015 to August 2018.
  5. Proceedings commenced on January 27, 2016.
  6. DyStar claimed S$250,000 as professional costs and S$135,985.09 for disbursements.
  7. Kiri argued costs should be assessed per Appendix G of the Supreme Court Practice Directions.

5. Formal Citations

  1. DyStar Global Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd v Kiri Industries Ltd and others, Suit No 3 of 2017, [2020] SGHC(I) 07
  2. DyStar Global Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd v Kiri Industries Ltd and others, , [2020] SGHC(I) 01
  3. CPIT Investments Ltd v Qilin World Capital Ltd and others, , [2018] SGHC(I) 02
  4. B2C2 Ltd v Quoine Pte Ltd, , [2019] SGHC(I) 12
  5. Robertson Quay Investment Pte Ltd v Steen Consultants Pte Ltd and another, , [2008] 2 SLR(R) 623

6. Timeline

DateEvent
Earliest value date for FOTL breaches.
Latest value date for FOTL breaches.
Earliest value date for Hayleys breaches.
Latest value date for Hayleys breaches.
Earliest value date for Brandix breaches.
Latest value date for Brandix breaches.
Proceedings commenced.
Judgment reserved.
Judgment delivered.

7. Legal Issues

  1. Breach of Contract
    • Outcome: The court previously found that Kiri Industries Limited breached its contract with DyStar Global Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
    • Category: Substantive
  2. Assessment of Damages
    • Outcome: The court assessed the damages owed by Kiri Industries Limited to DyStar Global Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd at USD 542,833.53, plus interest.
    • Category: Substantive
  3. Pre-Judgment Interest
    • Outcome: The court awarded pre-judgment interest from the value dates of the losses, rejecting the defendant's argument for interest to run only from the commencement of proceedings.
    • Category: Substantive
    • Related Cases:
      • [2008] 2 SLR(R) 623
  4. Costs
    • Outcome: The court assessed the costs payable by the defendants to the plaintiff at S$245,877.52, including disbursements.
    • Category: Procedural
    • Related Cases:
      • [2018] SGHC(I) 02
      • [2019] SGHC(I) 12

8. Remedies Sought

  1. Monetary Damages
  2. Interest
  3. Costs

9. Cause of Actions

  • Breach of Contract

10. Practice Areas

  • Commercial Litigation

11. Industries

  • No industries specified

12. Cited Cases

Case NameCourtAffirmedCitationJurisdictionSignificance
Robertson Quay Investment Pte Ltd v Steen Consultants Pte LtdHigh CourtYes[2008] 2 SLR(R) 623SingaporeCited for the principle that a plaintiff is generally entitled to interest from when the loss accrued, but an established circumstance for a later date is where there has been unwarranted delay by the plaintiff.
CPIT Investments Ltd v Qilin World Capital Ltd and othersSingapore International Commercial CourtYes[2018] SGHC(I) 02SingaporeCited regarding the application of Appendix G guidelines as one factor in determining reasonable costs under Order 110 Rule 46.
B2C2 Ltd v Quoine Pte LtdSingapore International Commercial CourtYes[2019] SGHC(I) 12SingaporeCited regarding the application of Order 110 Rule 46 and the place of reasonable costs in proceedings in the SICC.
DyStar Global Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd v Kiri Industries Ltd and othersSingapore International Commercial CourtYes[2020] SGHC(I) 01SingaporeThe judgment in which the court directed an agreed statement of damages calculated in conformity with its reasons, together with interest.

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

  • SSSA
  • Value Dates
  • Pre-Judgment Interest
  • Professional Costs
  • Disbursements
  • Appendix G
  • Case Management Conferences
  • AEICs

15.2 Keywords

  • breach of contract
  • damages
  • costs
  • interest
  • singapore
  • commercial court

17. Areas of Law

Area NameRelevance Score
Damages90
Assessment85
Costs80
Quantum80
Civil Procedure75
Commercial Disputes30
Arbitration25
Contract Law20

16. Subjects

  • Contract Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Damages Assessment
  • Costs