Anita Mui's mother told to pay legal fees

Late star Anita Mui Yim-fong's mother must pay almost HK$50,000 to cover costs stemming from the lawsuit she and her son mounted against legal advisers they dumped during a probate action in relation to Mui's HK$100 million estate.

Mr Justice Barnabas Fung Wah yesterday ordered Tam Mei-kam and her son, Peter Mui Kai-ming, to pay costs of about HK$47,900 in relation to their lawsuit against a director of Sino-Rich Consultant Company, Tang Tai-ying, because he had succeeded in having the pair's claims against him struck out.

The order was made despite Mr Mui's submission that the pair were in grave financial difficulty and that his mother had borrowed from loan sharks. But the judge said the pair, who had not engaged a lawyer to represent them, were exposing themselves to even further financial risk by incurring more and more legal costs.

Saying that their submissions and statement of claim had been inadequately prepared, the judge said: 'You say you are ignorant of law and legal procedures, but you want to sue people and seek to appeal. Now, are you not prepared to lose another HK$30,000, and even HK$300,000?'

The court heard that Ms Tam and Mr Mui had sued Mr Tang, disqualified barrister Josip Ma Pui-tung and solicitor William Au Wing-lun.

The mother and son accused the three of conspiring to provide unqualified legal services to them in their fight to gain access to Mui's estate.