Banker Wins Hong Kong Dance Case
Mimi Monica Wong, HSBC Holdings PLC's top Asia private banker, prevailed over her former Latin-dance instructors in a court case that exposed the great sums spent on dance classes here, winning back US$8 million she had prepaid for lessons.
In a 59-page judgment released yesterday, Hong Kong Deputy High Court Judge Gerard Muttrie ruled that the 61-year-old banker and ballroom-dancing enthusiast was entitled to the return of her prepayment, as well as interest and legal costs. "They took her money, for services in the future which she would never take up," he wrote.
Two years ago, the widowed banker entered an agreement to pay $15.4 million for eight years of unlimited Latin-dance instruction from 15-time world Latin-dance champion Gaynor Fairweather, of the U.K., and her Italian husband, Mirko Saccani. Ms. Wong paid about half of that sum up front.
Before the contract's term even began, the parties had a falling-out during a practice session at a Hong Kong restaurant in which Mr. Saccani lost his temper with the banker, according to court statements. The disintegration of the relationship led Ms. Wong to sue her instructors to get her money back.
Ms. Fairweather and Mr. Saccani countersued for the $7.4 million outstanding under the contract, on the grounds that they stood ready to render the services. The countersuit was heard concurrently with Ms. Wong's legal action.
As the trial made headlines, some in Hong Kong's banking community said the publicity wasn't good for a private banker, for whom discretion is prized. HSBC stood by Ms. Wong, who remains at the helm of its private-banking operations in Hong Kong. The bank declined to comment on yesterday's court judgment. The battle was the subject of a page-one Wall Street Journal Asia article last month. Judge Muttrie acknowledged that Ms. Wong spent "what many people would see as an inordinate amount of money for the dancing lessons" as she pursued her passion to reach the top of the so-called pro-am competitive-dancing circuit. "It is common enough for any professional person to act, in private life, in a way which one would not expect him to act professionally," he wrote, "particularly so when the person is acting in pursuit of some private matter which concerns him or her obsessively."
Clifford Chance, which represented Ms. Fairweather and Mr. Saccani, said the firm was awaiting instructions from its clients on whether to consider an appeal.
"I am hopeful that the judgment will be the end of it," Ms. Wong told reporters outside of her residence. "To the extent possible, I will continue to dance and compete for as long as possible."
Kate Linebaugh
香港银行家王以智追讨预付拉丁舞学费案胜诉
汇丰银行(HSBC Holdings PLC)杰出的亚洲私人银行家王以智(Mimi Monica Wong)在要求她的前拉丁舞教练返还800万美元预付学费的案件中胜诉。从这个事件中也可看出有些香港人为学习舞蹈不惜一掷千金。
双语阅读
? Banker Wins Hong Kong Dance Case香港高等法院暂委法官麦卓智(Gerard Muttrie)在周三发布的一份长达59页的判决书中裁定，这位疯狂热爱标准舞的银行家有权要回预付的学费及其利息以及其他相关法律费用。他写道，他们为了将来她决不会享用的服务而向她收费。
王以智在两年前与曾15次获得拉丁舞比赛世界冠军的盖纳?费尔维瑟(Gaynor Fairweather)及其意大利丈夫米尔科?萨卡尼(Mirko Saccani)达成协议，她支付1,540万美元以享用后者提供的在8年中无限次拉丁舞课程。王以智预付了约一半学费。
根据法庭声明，在这个协议生效之前，他们在一家香港餐厅进行练习时萨卡尼冲王以智发脾气，最终导致双方决裂。之后，王以智起诉她的教练，要求他们返还预付学费。
费尔维瑟以及萨卡尼提出了反诉称，他们还准备继续提供服务，因此要求按合同约定支付剩余740万美元的学费。这个反诉与王以智的诉讼同时被审理。
这个事件见诸报端后，一些香港银行业人士表示，关于王以智这个案子的媒体报道对这位私人银行家没有任何好处，因为这个职业最看重的就是判断力。汇丰银行则支持王以智，她现在仍是该行的私人银行业务掌舵人。汇丰银行拒绝就法庭的裁定发表评论。《华尔街日报》上月曾在头版位置对这个事件进行报导。
麦卓智法官确认，王以智为了满足自己成为职业与业余选手混合舞蹈循环赛的顶级选手的渴望，而在舞蹈课程上花费了很多人看来是个天文数字的金钱。这对一位专业人士来说很常见，因为在私生活中没有人期望他们表现的那么专业。当他们为自己所着迷的私人事务采取某些行动时更是如此。
费尔维瑟以及萨卡尼的法律代理高伟绅律师行(Clifford Chance)称，公司正在等待客户是否上诉的指示。
王以智在其住宅门口对记者表示，她希望法庭的裁决为这个事件画上句号。她还说，只要情况允许，她会继续跳舞及参加比赛。
Kate Linebaugh
