Lim Ngeok Yuen v Lim Soon Heng Victor: Division of Matrimonial Assets in Divorce

In the divorce case of *Lim Ngeok Yuen v Lim Soon Heng Victor*, the High Court of Singapore, presided over by Judith Prakash J, addressed the division of matrimonial assets on 2006-05-23. The primary legal issue was determining a fair and equitable distribution of assets, given the wife's greater career success and asset accumulation. The court made orders for the division of the Wing On property (60% to the wife, 40% to the husband), allowed the wife to retain the Arcadia property and her CPF account, and the husband to retain his CPF account and other disclosed assets. Other current assets were divided 80% to the wife and 20% to the husband, subject to certain deductions. The husband's appeal against these orders was dismissed.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court

1.2 Outcome

Orders made for division of matrimonial assets, including real property, CPF accounts, and other assets.

1.3 Case Type

Family

1.4 Judgment Type

Grounds of Decision

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Divorce case concerning the division of matrimonial assets where the wife had a more successful career and acquired more assets than the husband. The court determined a fair distribution.

1.7 Decision Date

22 May 2006

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party Name	Role	Type	Outcome	Outcome Type	Counsels
Lim Ngeok Yuen	Petitioner	Individual	Partial	Partial	Marina Chin of Tan Kok Quan Partnership
Lim Soon Heng Victor	Respondent	Individual	Partial	Partial	Troy Yeo of K K Yap & Partners Richard Ang of Ramani G H & Partners

3. Judges

Judge Name	Title	Delivered Judgment
Judith Prakash	Judge	Yes

4. Counsels

Counsel Name	Organization
Marina Chin	Tan Kok Quan Partnership
Troy Yeo	K K Yap & Partners
Richard Ang	Ramani G H & Partners

4. Facts

The parties were married in September 1975 and have one adult son.
The wife had a more successful career and acquired substantially more assets than the husband.
The wife commenced divorce proceedings in August 2003.
The parties acquired several properties during the marriage, including the Tanah Merah property, the Olive Road property, the Seacrest property, and the Wing On property.
The wife purchased the Arcadia property in December 2002 after the parties had separated.
The wife owned substantial assets, including bank deposits, unit trusts, shares, share options, and CPF savings.
The husband's assets were worth considerably less than the wife's.

5. Formal Citations

Lim Ngeok Yuen v Lim Soon Heng Victor, D 602645/2003, [2006] SGHC 83

6. Timeline

Date	Event
1971-01-01	Wife joined an accountancy firm.
1975-09-01	Parties married in London.
1976-08-01	Son, Darren, was born.
1976-01-01	Parties acquired the Tanah Merah property.
1977-01-01	Wife joined Shell.
1983-01-01	Husband started Comana Engineering Pte Ltd.
1986-01-01	Tanah Merah property was sold.
1986-01-01	Parties purchased the Olive Road property.
1989-12-01	Parties moved to Brisbane, Australia.
1990-01-01	Olive Road property was sold.
1991-01-01	Wife returned to Singapore and rejoined Shell.
1993-01-01	Parties acquired the Wing On property.
1994-01-01	Wife posted to London by Shell.
1997-01-01	Husband joined wife in London.
1997-12-01	Wife returned to Singapore and was appointed finance director of Shell group of companies.
1998-03-01	Seacrest property was sold.
1999-01-01	Husband returned to Singapore.
1999-05-01	Wife moved out of the flat.
2002-12-01	Wife purchased the Arcadia property.
2003-08-01	Wife commenced divorce proceedings.
2003-08-01	Wife retired from Shell.
2004-08-01	Decree nisi was granted.
2006-02-13	Orders made for division of matrimonial assets.
2006-05-23	Decision Date

7. Legal Issues

Division of Matrimonial Assets
- Outcome: The court determined a fair and equitable distribution of matrimonial assets, considering both financial and non-financial contributions of each party.
- Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

Division of Matrimonial Assets

9. Cause of Actions

Divorce

10. Practice Areas

Divorce
Family Law
Asset Division

11. Industries

No industries specified

12. Cited Cases

Case Name	Court	Affirmed	Citation	Jurisdiction	Significance
Yow Mee Lan v Chen Kai Buan	Unknown	Yes	[2000] 4 SLR 466	Singapore	Cited for the principle that the court should consider the marriage as a whole and the role played by each party in the physical and emotional care of the family and in their financial dealings to arrive at a fair division of assets.

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute Name	Jurisdiction
Women’s Charter (Cap 353, 1997 Rev Ed)	Singapore

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

Matrimonial Assets
Division of Assets
Fair and Equitable Distribution
Financial Contributions
Non-Financial Contributions
CPF
Wing On Property
Arcadia Property

15.2 Keywords

Divorce
Matrimonial Assets
Asset Division
Singapore
Family Law

17. Areas of Law

Area Name	Relevance Score
Division of Assets	95
Matrimonial Assets	95
Family Law	95
Division of Matrimonial Property	90
Matrimonial Assets Division	90
Maintenance	50
Children's Maintenance	50
Maintenance (Child)	40
Maintenance (Wife)	40
Child Custody	30
Child Support	30
Trusts and Estates	20
Property Law	20
Contract Law	10

16. Subjects

Family Law
Divorce
Matrimonial Assets