LZ Furniture & Decoration Pte Ltd v Uni-Flex Technology Pte Ltd: Striking Out Statement of Claim in Construction Dispute
LZ Furniture & Decoration Pte Ltd, the plaintiff, sued Uni-Flex Technology Pte Ltd, the defendant, in the General Division of the High Court of Singapore, claiming money assigned to it by GT Building Systems International Pte Ltd. The defendant applied to strike out the Statement of Claim, which was initially allowed by the Deputy Registrar but overturned by the District Judge. Choo Han Teck J dismissed the defendant's appeal, holding that the plaintiff's claim on an assigned debt constituted a reasonable cause of action.
1. Case Overview
1.1 Court
General Division of the High Court1.2 Outcome
Defendant’s appeal dismissed.
1.3 Case Type
Civil
1.4 Judgment Type
Grounds of Decision
1.5 Jurisdiction
Singapore
1.6 Description
Appeal regarding striking out a statement of claim. The court dismissed the appeal, finding the claim on an assigned debt was a reasonable cause of action.
1.7 Decision Date
2. Parties and Outcomes
| Party Name | Role | Type | Outcome | Outcome Type | Counsels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LZ Furniture & Decoration Pte Ltd | Appellant, Plaintiff | Corporation | Appeal Allowed | Won | |
| Uni-Flex Technology Pte Ltd | Respondent, Defendant | Corporation | Appeal Dismissed | Lost |
3. Judges
| Judge Name | Title | Delivered Judgment |
|---|---|---|
| Choo Han Teck | Judge of the High Court | Yes |
4. Counsels
| Counsel Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Adrian Ee Hock Hoe | Ramdas & Wong |
| Joanne Chew Yun Ping | Ramdas & Wong |
| Choy Chee Yean | R.S. Solomon LLC |
4. Facts
- The plaintiff and defendant are companies in the building construction business.
- GT Building Systems International Pte Ltd was awarded a subcontract by the defendant for the 'Star of Kovan' project.
- The plaintiff was a subcontractor of GT Building Systems International Pte Ltd.
- The main contractor faced difficulties, leading to unpaid parties downstream.
- GT Building Systems International Pte Ltd assigned the debt the defendant owed it to the plaintiff.
- The defendant denied GT Building Systems International Pte Ltd completed the work and withheld payment.
- The defendant claimed GT Building Systems International Pte Ltd owed it $19,949.83.
5. Formal Citations
- LZ Furniture & Decoration Pte Ltd v Uni-Flex Technology Pte Ltd, , [2022] SGHC 57
6. Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Hearing date | |
| Judgment date | |
| Deputy Registrar of the State Courts allowed the application and struck out the Statement of Claim |
7. Legal Issues
- Striking Out
- Outcome: The court held that the claim on an assigned debt was a reasonable cause of action and should not be struck out.
- Category: Procedural
- Sub-Issues:
- Reasonable cause of action
8. Remedies Sought
- Monetary payment
9. Cause of Actions
- Assignment of Debt
10. Practice Areas
- Commercial Litigation
11. Industries
- Construction
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
- Assignment
- Debt
- Striking out
- Reasonable cause of action
- Subcontract
- Building construction
15.2 Keywords
- Striking Out
- Construction Dispute
- Assignment of Debt
17. Areas of Law
| Area Name | Relevance Score |
|---|---|
| Striking out | 90 |
| Civil Procedure | 75 |
| Assignment Law | 70 |
| Contract Law | 60 |
| Breach of Contract | 60 |
| Costs | 50 |
| Building Construction | 40 |
16. Subjects
- Civil Procedure
- Construction Dispute