WOZ v WOY [2024] SGHCF 11

Outcome: Appeal dismissed. 

Facts

1          The parties married in September 2011 and were divorced in March 2023. They have a 12-year-old child. The two issues in the appeal were the valuation of the matrimonial property and the access arrangements for the Father.

Court's Decision:

2          The court must value the matrimonial property on a fixed date, for certainty and finality. It would be absurd for unsatisfied parties to return to court for a revaluation of the property each time prices move in their favour. This is especially so, in the current market where property prices are likely to rise.: at [2].

3          The Child is turning 12 this year, and she is thus at a sufficiently mature age to evaluate how a parent-child relationship should develop in their case. Relationship building requires time, effort, and patience from both sides. Above all, it is unique in each relationship. It is not amenable to judicial commands, and the courts must leave it to the parents to develop their own bond with their children, each in his or her own way.: at [4].