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HONG KONG – Hong Kong director Stephen Chow was sued by his ex-girlfriend Alice Yu for failing to pay his commission of more than HK $ 70 million (S $ 12 million).
Chow, 58, and Ms. Yu, believed to be in her late 40s, separated in 2010 after a 13-year relationship.
According to court documents, Ms. Yu, the daughter of real estate businessman Yu Ching Po, was also a business partner of Chow during their courtship.
With a monthly salary of HK $ 20,000, her designation was “Real Estate Advisor” and helped manage film copyrights and real estate investments.
Chow, an actor-turned-director, is famous for directing comedies such as Kung Fu Hustle (2004), CJ7 (2008) and The Mermaid (2016).
Yu, who testified in court on Thursday (November 19), said that she and Chow reached a verbal agreement on the commission on the eve of Christmas Day 2002.
So Chow had suggested giving him a bicycle. But he proposed a 10 percent commission on his investments, including three luxury units with five parking lots and projects under the Chow foundation.
Ms. Yu was asked in court why she did not formalize the agreement in black and white. She replied that he did not do what he trusted him at the time.
[[nid:457816]]He said that he has not received a penny of the more than HK $ 70 million in commission due to him.
Chow, who has not yet testified in court, admitted to making the promise to Ms. Yu in court documents. However, he said it was done at the height of their relationship and therefore cannot be legally enforced as a business contract.
He also accused her of “selective selection”, mentioning only the gains, but not the losses of HK $ 13 million in other investments.
Chow, whose most recent movie was The New King of Comedy (2019), also said that he had given Yu HK $ 21.6 million. The sum, he said, was given out of love, for no other reason.
This article was first published in The times of the strait. Permission is required for reproduction.
