Revealed: property at heart of Fook Lam Moon feud

Lawyers for the feuding brothers who run the celebrated Fook Lam Moon restaurants have revealed for the first time that the dispute at the centre of their three lawsuits concerns properties.

Shareholder and director Chui Pui-kun, the fifth son of restaurant founder Chui Fuk-chuen, and his younger brother, seventh son Chui Wai-kwan, have both filed petitions to buy out the other's shares in the holding companies of the restaurants.

In a third lawsuit, Chui Pui-kun is suing his younger brother for defamation over statements he made in circulars that were sent to shareholders.

In the Court of First Instance yesterday, Benjamin Yu SC, for the older brother, said the issues overlapping in the three cases were the brothers' disputes over the sale of a property in Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, and a proposal to obtain a banking facility of HK$50 million for the property in Johnston Road that houses the Wan Chai restaurant.

In filing petitions to buy out one another's shares, both brothers alleged the companies' affairs had been conducted in a manner prejudicial to their own interests.

Fook Lam Moon, with one restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui and one in Wan Chai, has earned a reputation for serving fine Chinese cuisine, attracting celebrities and wealthy businesspeople. Tycoons including Joseph Lau Luen-hung, Lee Shau-kee and Li Ka-shing are frequent patrons.

The family in-fighting began with the defamation lawsuit, which was brought against the younger brother in November 2009.