A prolonged legal dispute over the estate of the late Hong Kong tycoon Lim Por-yen, valued at HK$2.9 billion, is expected to continue as parties prepare for further court proceedings. The conflict centers on the inheritance rights of Lim’s third wife, Koo Siu-ying, and their children, following a prior court ruling that recognized their entitlement to a portion of the estate.

Lim’s estate has filed an appeal against last year’s judgment in which the High Court ruled in favor of Koo and her daughter, Pearl Ling Meng-chu, also known as Pearl Lam. Ling’s spokesperson indicated that she is currently reviewing all available legal options and has not dismissed the possibility of additional action.

The dispute dates back to a probate lawsuit initiated in 2011, concerning a will allegedly signed by Lim in December 2004. This will reportedly allocated the majority of Lim’s assets to the wives and children from his first two marriages, explicitly excluding his third family. Lim, the founder of the conglomerate Lai Sun Group and former chairman of broadcaster ATV, passed away in February 2005 at the age of 93.

In April last year, then-High Court judge Wilson Chan Ka-shun invalidated the 2004 will, citing Lim’s severe dementia at the time and concluding he lacked the mental capacity to revoke a prior will from 1973. The 1973 document outlined a different distribution of assets among family members.

Following this ruling, Lim’s legal team filed an appeal, contesting the decision on several grounds, including allegations of judicial plagiarism. The issue came under scrutiny in July when Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kiu-nung publicly reprimanded Judge Chan for repeated instances of plagiarism and requested his early retirement. Chan retired at the end of July.

As of now, no hearing date has been set for the appeal concerning the probate case. A directions hearing has been scheduled for November 2026 to discuss the management of the appeal process.

Efforts to obtain comments from Pearl Lam have so far been unsuccessful. The ongoing litigation reflects the complex family dynamics and significant wealth involved in the case, underscoring the challenges often inherent in high-profile inheritance disputes.