A Hong Kong judge has ordered Chris Au, the former boss of the Ku De Ta nightclub in Singapore, to pay HK$2m in security costs if he wants to continue his civil case against a friend who owes a poker debt.
You know the score. You are playing in a game, and the fish runs out of money. They don’t move out of their seat. Instead, their puppy dog eyes scan the table for any sign of kindness. And they get what they want; only it isn’t kindness. You make the loan because they are a fish. You think you will win more money. And then, you never see them again.
For many people, especially professional poker players, handing out loans is an integral part of the business. But what does happen when someone refuses to give you back what is rightfully yours? The only possible route is through the legal system, but it is fraught with danger, as a former nightclub owner from Singapore has just found out to the tune of HK$2 million ($258,000).
Sometime during 2008, Chris Au, the former boss of the Ku De Ta nightclub at the Marina Bay Sands area in Singapore, played in a regular home game with his associate Steve Yoon. Au alleges that Yoon lost HK$7.2 million ($928,000) to him, spread over 33 sessions. Au never received a cent and decided his only option was to sue him.
The Appeal
In April, Yoon’s legal team applied pressure on Au by asking the court to order him to pay HK$2 million in security costs over fears that should he lose he wouldn’t pay up. The concern stemmed from Singapore being his place of residence and not Hong Kong.
Au lodged an appeal, declaring that he lived in Hong Kong for 13-years, before moving to Singapore in 2010. His legal team argued that as he was a Hong Kong resident during the period of the alleged losses they could not order him to pay any costs.
The Result
Au lost his appeal.
Hong Kong Deputy Court Judge, Marlene Ng, sided with Yoon’s legal team that Au was a permanent resident of Singapore, and as such would have to pay the costs if he wanted to continue with his civil action.
Au fought back, suggesting that he only applied for permanent residency for business reasons, and had thought the Singapore authorities would approve his business plans for the Ku De Ta nightclub if he held residency.
Yoon continues to deny that he owes Au a cent stating that the players involved in the home game never agreed that the settlement of any losses would end up in a civil court case.
The case continues.
