07 Jan 2026
December 2025: Essential Hong Kong Case Updates
We're pleased to present this month's collection of newly reported cases covering various practice areas, including Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Arbitration Law, Administrative Law, and more. Each case includes catchwords highlighting key legal issues.
All cases are linked to Lexis+® Hong Kong. Please log in to the platform to ensure a consistent experience before accessing the links.
New cases reported in HKC December 2025:
Civil Procedure
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
Hon Mimmie Chan J in Chambers (Open to Public)
HCA 188/2010; [2025] HKCFI 4368
Date of Hearing: 1 September 2025, 18 September 2025
| Key Legal Issues |
Civil Procedure — Action — Dismissal for want of prosecution — Plaintiff taking unilateral decision not to pursue claim — Substantial period of time — Maintaining intention to pursue at a later time — Warehousing claim — Serious prejudice — Real risk of impossibility of a fair trial — Rules of the High Court (Cap 4A) O 25 rr 1(4), (6) |
U K PROLIFIC PETROLEUM GROUP COMPANY LIMITED v 鑫都集團有限公司 [2025] 6 HKC 966; [2025] HKCU 5750; [2025] HKCFI 4769
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
Mr Recorder Jenkin Suen SC in Court
HCMP 546/2024; [2025] HKCFI 4769
Dates of Hearing: 23 September and 2 October 2024, Date of Further Hearing: 29 May 2025, 9 October 2025
| Key Legal Issues |
Interim relief — Stop notices and stop orders — Jurisdiction to grant relief in absence of substantive proceedings in Hong Kong — Exercise of discretion — Whether serious issue to be tried — Rules of the High Court (Cap 4A) O 50 rr 11-15 |
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
Deputy High Court Judge Gary CC Lam in Chambers (Open to Public)
HCMP 1589/2024; [2025] HKCFI 4350
Date of Hearing: 6 and 7 May 2025, Dates of Filing of Further Evidence: 4 June and 2 July 2025, Dates of Written Supplemental Submissions: 30 July and 27 August 2025, 19 September 2025
| Key Legal Issues |
Civil Procedure — Originating summons — Striking out — Foreign court having determined identical issue — Barring a party from making overlapping claims — Res judicata and issue estoppel — Doctrines of ‘privity of interest’ and ‘standing-by’ — Abuse of process — Whether plain and obvious — Whether foreign court had different standard of proof or placed burden of proof on different party Companies and Corporations — Winding-up — Liquidation — Action to declare guarantee and sum received unfair preference — Defendants to jointly and severally pay received sum to plaintiff company — Whether relief sought restorative in nature — Companies (Winding up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap 32) ss 266, 266A, 266B |
Criminal Law
HKSAR v HUNG HING LUEN (孔慶聯) [2025] 6 HKC 603, [2025] HKCU 5043, [2025] HKCA 832
COURT OF APPEAL
Hon Macrae VP, Zervos and M Poon JJA in Court
CACC 3/2024; [2025] HKCA 832
Date of Hearing: 22 August 2025, Date of Judgment: 22 August 2025, 10 September 2025
| Key Legal Issues | Rape — Indecent assault — 9-year-old girl under foster care — Complaints made 6 years later — Whether complaints admissible as evidence of recent complaint in assessing credibility of complainant — Directions to jury on recent complaint and distress — Material irregularity — Crimes Ordinance (Cap 200) ss 118(1), 122(1) |
HKSAR v IP ANTHONY CHUN HIN [2025] 6 HKC 1116; [2025] HKCU 6251; [2025] HKCFI 5043
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
Deputy High Court Judge Yiu in Court
HCMA 198/2023 and HCMA 51/2024; [2025] HKCFI 5043
Date of Hearing: 30 May 2025, 30 October 2025
| Key Legal Issues |
Criminal Law — Disclosing personal data without consent — Whether harm intended — Whether disclosure caused harm — Interpretation of ‘specified harm’ — Legislative background — Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap 486) ss 64(3A), (3C), (3D), (6)(c) Words and Phrases — ‘Specified harm’ — Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap 486) s 64(6) |
Arbitration
IP PATRICK v CHAN MEANNE CHING MAN [2025] 6 HKC 643; [2025] HKCU 5282; [2025] HKDC 1578
DISTRICT COURT
Deputy District Judge Tony Ko
Judgment Date: 18/9/2025
| Key Legal Issues | Heads of agreement following mediation — Whether binding and enforceable — Whether agreement to agree — Refusal to sign mediation agreement — Whether breach of contract — Specific performance — Relief |
LAM PO YEE v YU SHUI MUI (余水梅) [2025] 6 HKC 740; [2025] HKCU 5456; [2025] HKCFI 4245
DISTRICT COURT
Deputy District Judge J Remedios in Chambers
DCMP 2483/2022; [2025] HKDC 1268
Date of Hearing: 29 May 2025, 25 August 2025
| Key Legal Issues | Arbitration agreement — Stay of action in favour of arbitration — Whether there was arbitration agreement — Whether statement on substance of dispute had been made — Abuse of process — Arbitration Ordinance (Cap 609) s 20 Contract — Right of third party — Conditions for third party to rely on arbitration clause in agreement — Contract (Rights of Third Party) Ordinance (Cap 623) ss 4, 12 |
Administrative Law
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
Hon Coleman J in Court
HCAL 1343/2025; [2025] HKCFI 4546
Date of Hearing: 29 September 2025, 10 October 2025
| Key Legal Issues | Judicial review — The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Ltd — Listing review committee — Leave to apply for judicial review — Disciplinary proceedings — Natural justice — Decision only signed by the secretary and not by any member of the committee — Whether decision tainted with procedural impropriety by having secretarial administrator of Committee involved in the drafting of decision |
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
Hon Coleman J and Hon Alex Lee J in Court
HCAL 1278/2024; [2025] HKCFI 3403
Date of Hearing: 18 June 2025, 22 October 2025
| Key Legal Issues | Administrative Law — Judicial review — Long-term Prison Sentence Review Board — Failing to take into account mandatory considerations when refusing application — Errors of law and procedure — Correct approach — Consideration of factors of rehabilitation, reintegration, sufficiency of sentence as holistic assessment — Weighing of non-mandatory factors as appropriate — Long-term Prison Sentences Review Ordinance (Cap 524) s 8 — Long-term Prison Sentences Review Regulation (Cap 524A) Sch 1 |
Taxation and Revenue
COURT OF APPEAL
Hon Poon CJHC and Ng J in Court
CAMP 34/2024; [2025] HKCA 596
Dates of Written Statements: 21 February and 6 March 2024, 29 September 2025
| Key Legal Issues |
Profits tax — Additional assessment — Source of profits — Whether taxpayer trader or manufacturer — Whether grounds of appeal disguised challenges of findings of fact of Board of Review — Industrial building allowance — Mainland property — Real estate certificate — Whether taxpayer had relevant interest before certificate issued — Expert evidence of PRC law — Burden of proof — Leave to appeal — Question of law — Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap 112) ss 14, 18F(1), 40, 68(4), 69(1), (3)(e) |
Financial Services
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
Deputy High Court Judge MK Liu in Court
HCMP 2027/2023; [2025] HKCFI 4584
Dates of Hearing: 28 and 30 July 2025, 6 October 2025
| Key Legal Issues | Securities — Inquiry under s 185(1)(a) and (b) of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap 571) — Failure to produce full copies of records or documents — Whether proof of due service of the notice under s 183 required — Whether there was reasonable excuse for non-compliance — Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap 571) ss 183, 185(1)(a), (b) |
These comprehensive revisions ensure that you have access to our updated legal resources available in Hong Kong. Our timely updates reflect our latest judicial decisions, legislative changes, and regulatory developments available, positioning you at the forefront of legal practice.
We invite you to explore these updated resources and consider how they can enhance your practice and benefit your clients.
We look forward to bringing you further updates in our next update.