Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi is facing a lawsuit filed by her former manager, Yu Yuk-hing, and AEG Entertainment Group Limited. They allege that Cheung failed to fulfill obligations under her management contract after receiving advance payments totaling HK$41.76 million for film projects. The trial was held at the High Court on Wednesday (Dec 3).
Yu appeared in court and testified that Cheung referred to him as her “Godfather” and, following her divorce, sought his advice on establishing a “good mother” and “strong woman” public image. Cheung later proposed that Yu act as her personal manager and assist her in securing HK$40 million for property investments.
Yu said his funds were in mainland China at the time, so he contacted Yu Dong of Bona Film Group, who required the signing of two film contracts as a form of guarantee.
The defense questioned Yu’s account, arguing that Cheung did not know him personally before 2011 and that the initial contact was made through her assistant. They also said the management contract was proposed by Yu for business reasons, not out of sympathy.
Judge Herbert Au-Yeung Ho-wing noted that Yu claimed Cheung had agreed to sign a management contract, which was separate from the HK$40 million. Yu said he had informed Cheung that it was not yet confirmed whether Yu Dong could provide the funds, but she had already agreed to sign the contract.
According to court papers, Yu and AEG claim that Cheung signed an eight-year exclusive global management contract in July 2011, under which Yu advanced HK$40 million and required her to appear in four designated films. A second contract in May 2012 involved an additional HK$2.76 million advance, requiring her to participate in two more films.
The plaintiffs are seeking at least HK$12.76 million in compensation and disclosure of Cheung’s income from May 2015 to July 2019.
