20 Dec 2024
The court found items C and D totalling HK$24,650 to be excessive and assessed them at HK$15,000, and found counsel's claimed fee at the same rate as for the appeal unreasonable, assessing a fair counsel fee at HK$20,000; accordingly the defendant was ordered to pay HK$36,000 to the plaintiff for the costs of the permission to appeal.
28 Nov 2024
On summary assessment the Court fixed the 2nd to 4th respondents' costs at $150,000, including $90,000 for counsel fees, exercising its discretion to reduce the claimed sum of $257,004 to a reasonable assessed amount.
10 Jan 2024
Items C1, C3, D1 and D2 were excessive; applying a broad‑brush approach the court allowed only 20 hours in total for C and D, found counsel's fees reasonable, and summarily assessed total costs after discount at HK$167,000, with no further costs order.
7 Oct 2021
The court applied a broadbrush summary assessment, found substantial duplication and excessive hourly rates and fees, applied apportionment where proceedings overlapped, reduced leading and junior counsel fees to levels the court deemed reasonable, and fixed specified global sums for each party and summons rather than allowing the full claimed amounts.
7 Oct 2021
The judge applied a broadbrush summary assessment approach, reduced multiple excessive claimed items for duplication, hourly rates and disproportionate professional work, applied apportionment between overlapping summonses (using percentages where appropriate), and fixed specified reduced sums for each party and each summons as the reasonable costs to be allowed.
16 Jul 2021
The court held the claimed costs were excessive, reduced the combined counsel fees from HK$240,000 to HK$200,000 (HK$150,000 and HK$50,000), summarily assessed total costs for the main application at HK$260,000 and for the variation application at HK$30,000, and made no order as to costs for the present application.
22 Jan 2020
The court found the overall claim to be on the high side, with excessive time charged for perusal of documents, but that the counsel's fee claimed was reasonable; exercising its discretion on summary assessment the court reduced the claimed amount by about 20% and assessed the payable costs at $102,000.