Hong Kong domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih wins battle to stop abusive ex-boss evading HK$800,000 in damages
Court rules that share in property Law Wan-tung offloaded to her husband can be considered part of her assets
Former Hong Kong domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih on Thursday won the last leg of her legal battle against an abusive employer, successfully preventing her ex-boss evading a court order to hand over HK$809,430 in damages.
The High Court ruled that a transaction in which Law Wan-tung transferred half her share of a HK$7 million flat to her husband had been an attempt to offload assets and place herself in debt so as to avoid paying her former employee.
The Indonesian helper was awarded HK$809,430 (US$103,600) last week in damages to be paid by Law, who is currently serving a six-year jail sentence for subjecting Erwiana to seven months of abuse in 2013 and 2014.
But whether that compensation order would be effectively enforced depended on the outcome of the case on Thursday, as Law had fallen into debt after transferring the property to her estranged husband, Barry Tsui Yun-bun, who is also a defendant in the court action.
Law has only slightly more than HK$2,000 in her bank accounts, and is burdened by more than HK$137,000 in credit card debts.
