Ngan Lai Yu v. Swedish Motors Ltd.

Read the full judgment text of HCA 88/1999 on BabelCite. This High Court CFI judgment was delivered on 3 August 1999.

1. This is an application for summary judgment by a buyer of a new motor car which has been plagued with defects since its purchase. The supplier asserts that the car was of merchantable quality when it was delivered and asserts that, by keeping the car for some 6 months and some 5,000 km, the buyer has anyway lost any right she may have had to rescind the contract and reject the car. The evidence in the buyer's favour appears strong but the only question I have to decide now is whether the case

Case No.HCA 88/1999
Court
High Court CFI
Date03 Aug 1999
Judge
Case Document
100%Judiciary

HCA000088/1999

HCA 88/1999

IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE

HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE

ACTION NO. 88 OF 1999

BETWEEN
NGAN LAI YU Plaintiff
AND
SWEDISH MOTORS LIMITED Defendant

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Coram : Godfrey, J.A. in Chambers (sitting as an additional Judge of the Court of First Instance)

Date of Hearing : 3 August 1999

Date of Judgment : 3 August 1999

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J U D G M E N T

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Godfrey, J.A. :

1. This is an application for summary judgment by a buyer of a new motor car which has been plagued with defects since its purchase. The supplier asserts that the car was of merchantable quality when it was delivered and asserts that, by keeping the car for some 6 months and some 5,000 km, the buyer has anyway lost any right she may have had to rescind the contract and reject the car. The evidence in the buyer's favour appears strong but the only question I have to decide now is whether the case is so plain and obvious that the issues raised by the supplier are not fit to be tried. I cannot come to such a conclusion. In my judgment, the supplier is entitled to a trial of these issues and I propose to give the supplier unconditional leave to defend the action; the costs of this application will be costs in the cause.

(Gerald Godfrey)
Justice of Appeal

Representation:

Mr. Josiah Lee instructed by M/s. Leung, Chan & Pang for Plaintiff

Miss Ellen Cheng of M/s. Simmons & Simmons for Defendant