Spotlight on the employee – independent contractor divide

21 Jun 2019

In the recent case of PP v Jurong Country Club [2019] SGHC 150, the High Court rejected a bid by the Central Provident Fund Board to recover more than $400k in alleged arrears of CPF contributions over seven years for a gym instructor who had worked at the now-defunct Jurong Country Club. The High Court also cleared Jurong Country Club of four criminal charges of non-payment of CPF obligations, overturning a District Court decision last year to convict the country club.
 
This decision hinged on the High Court’s conclusion that the gym instructor was an independent contractor, and not an employee of Jurong Country Club.
 
Drew & Napier LLC acted successfully for Jurong Country Club in its appeal to the High Court.
 
To find out more about this legal update, please click here.