Pines' case rests on whether club owner has right to amend the club's rules, says court

Singapore

WHETHER some 162 unhappy members of The Pines, a country club, can successfully claim damages from the club owner will depend on whether the court is persuaded that the club owner, Exklusiv Resorts, has a right to amend the rules as it sees fit - including changing the location of the clubhouse, Justice Chua Lee Ming said on Tuesday.

The spat leading to this representative action by the members began in 2013, when the club closed for renovations. In March that year, Exklusiv sold the land parcel to property developer Oxley. Two hotels, Novotel Singapore and The Mercure Singapore, opened on the plot in late 2017.