Ms Josephine Choo > WongPartnership LLP > Singapore, Singapore > Lawyer Profile

Ms Josephine Choo

+65 6416 8120 josephine.choo@wongpartnership.com View profile

Work Department

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group; Specialist & Private Client Disputes Practice

Position

Partner – Specialist & Private Client Disputes Practice.

Career

Experienced in construction and infrastructure disputes involving a variety of projects, such as airport terminals and tunnelling works for rapid transit system, other civil engineering projects such as highways commercial and residential buildings. Josephine’s litigation practice also includes arbitration, commercial and corporate disputes, criminal law and family law.

Work Highlights

Matters of significance in which Josephine has been involved in include acting for the following:

• PH Hydraulics and Engineering Pte Ltd in relation to an action instigated by Airtrust (Hong Kong) Ltd (“Airtrust”) after the malfunctioning of the reel drive unit (“RDU”) purchased from PH Hydraulics. In that seminal decision, the Court of Appeal held conclusively, for the first time, that, as a general rule, punitive damages cannot be awarded purely for breach of contract absent concurrent liability in tort.
• Boustead Singapore Limited (“Boustead”). Boustead entered into a facility agreement with Arab Banking Corporation (B.S.C) (“ABC”) in 2007. Pursuant to the facility agreement, ABC issued two counter-guarantees underwriting monies guaranteed under two performance bonds by a separate bank, for a project undertaken by Boustead in Libya, totalling close to US$19 million. When the performance bonds were called, ABC sought payment against Boustead under the counter guarantees. Boustead successfully obtained a permanent injunction in the High Court on grounds of fraud and/or unconscionability, against ABC. On ABC’s appeal, the Court of Appeal upheld the injunction and decided, inter alia, that the unconscionability exception developed in the context of performance bonds, was applicable to a demand by a bank against its customer under a facility agreement.
• Global Yellow Pages Limited and Singapore River Explorer Pte Ltd, the Plaintiffs in a High Court suit against its former director and his related company. This Suit engaged complex issues regarding inducement of breach of contract and breach of directors duties, the application of the Said v Butt rule in inducement of breach of contract cases, which was recently endorsed by the Court of Appeal in PT Sandipala Arthaputra v ST Microelectronics Asia Pacific as well as the principles in Townsing Henry George v Jenton Overseas Investment Pte Ltd (in liquidation).

Languages

English, Mandarin.

Education

Admitted, 1998, Singapore Bar; 1997, English Bar; University of London (LL.B., Hons.); Middle Temple (Barrister-at-Law)