Profile
Profile
Bebe Pui Ying Chu, SBS was appointed in October 2003 as a judge of the Family Court, HKSAR, and was appointed the Principal Family Court Judge in 2009. She sat in the Family Court until September 2012 and was then appointed Deputy Judge, and later, in April 2015, Judge of the Court of First Instance, High Court, HKSAR. She retired at the end of June 2024.
She has a wide experience in Family Law, and was appointed a member of The International Hague Network of Judges in relation to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. During her period of appointment in the High Court, she dealt with a variety of general civil cases, including but not limited to contractual disputes, property and land disputes, trust, probate and inheritance claims, charities, Chinese law and custom. She has also sat as an additional judge of the Court of Appeal.
She is on the Roll of Honour of The Law Society of Hong Kong.
Her recent reported judgements and/or decisions of interest included :
- LCC v LTLA (CACV 281/2022, [2024] HKCA 406, [2024] 2 HKLRD 1177) – clarifying the legal principles of “add back”/reattribution of assets in ancillary relief cases
- LYYC v CHL and CSMS, THE EXECUTRICES OF THE ESTATE OF CGSK aka CSKG DECEASED, and ANOTHER (HCMP 683/2021 , [2023] HKCFI 1585) – dismissing a dependency claim by an alleged mistress against the estate of the deceased
- H.K. SOURCES FINANCE LIMITED v LING KAI WAN PAUL and DING SHIFEN (HCMP 3430/2013 , [2024] HKCFI 1141, reported in [2024] 2 HKLRD 1133) – moneylender’s action – whether the borrower’s separated wife had a beneficial interest in the matrimonial property which was the security in a loan to the borrower
- CHAN WING TONG v THE INCORPORATED OWNERS OF KAM CHUNG BUILDING (JAFFE ROAD) and Others (HCA 1581/2017, [2024] HKCFI 508, reported in [2024] 2 HKLRD 1) – Adverse Possession – whether the adverse possessor’ s possessory title was only an encumbrance for the purpose of Land (Compulsory Sale for Redevelopment) Ordinance, Cap 545
- TO KIN WAH and Others v TO KAM CHAU and Others (HCA 1603/2004 , [2023] HKCFI 3238, reported in [2024] 1 HKLRD 975 ) – Chinese Customary Law in the New Territories – whether the appointment of the managers of the Chinese “tong” was valid
- FALSON INSURANCE COMPANY (HONG KONG) LIMITED v BING LEE CRANE LORRY TRANSPORTATION CO. LIMITED and TUGU INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED (HCMP 1063/2022 , [2023] HKCFI 1129 , reported in [2023] 2 HKLRD 1190) – whether stay of proceedings should be ordered pending arbitration
For other judgments, please visit the Judiciary Website at http://legalref.judiciary.gov.hk
Past Appointments To Judiciary Committees/ Law Reform Sub-Committees
- Chairman of the Implementation Committee on Family Procedure Rules (until about 2023)
- Member of the Working Party on Mediation (until December 2024)
- Member of the Family Proceedings Court Users Committee (until 2026)
- Member of the Law Reform Sub-Committee to consider the reform on the legislation relating to children and family dispute resolution (April 1985 – September 2003)
- Member of the Law Reform Sub-Committee to consider the reform on the legislation relating to domicile (June 2002 – April 2005)
Past Government Appointments
- Member of Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal Panel (formerly Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee Panel) (22 January 1988 – 25 July 1993)
- Member of Directors of the Surviving Spouses’ and Children’s Pension Scheme (14 November 1993 – 13 November 2001)
- Member of Council on Professional Conduct in Education (27 April 1994 – 30 April 1996)
- Member of HKSAR Public Service Commission (1 December 1995 – 30 November 2001)
- Member of HKSAR Equal Opportunities Commission (20 May 1997 – 19 May 2002)
- Member of HKSAR Administrative Appeals Board (15 July 2003 – 27 August 2003 (due to Judicial Appointment))
- Non-official Justice of Peace (1 July 1998 – 31 August 2003 (ceased due to Judicial Appointment))
Other Past Activities
- Member of the Hong Kong Law Society Council (June 1993 – November 1994)
- Chairperson of the Family Law Committee, Hong Kong Law Society (1991 – 2002)
- Council Member of ReSource The Counselling Centre Ltd. (A Hong Kong charitable organization) (2004)
- Member of the Advisory Board, Department of Law & Business, Hong Kong Shue Yan University (September 2012)