{"id":32542,"date":"2026-04-17T07:17:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T07:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prelive-tdw.visibleone.app\/?post_type=insight-and-news&#038;p=32542"},"modified":"2026-05-18T07:18:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:18:35","slug":"i-wasnt-there-but-if-i-was-i-didnt-do-it-important-guidance-on-pleading-an-alternative-case","status":"publish","type":"insight-and-news","link":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/insight-and-news\/i-wasnt-there-but-if-i-was-i-didnt-do-it-important-guidance-on-pleading-an-alternative-case\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI wasn\u2019t there but if I was, I didn\u2019t do it\u201d \u2013 Important guidance on pleading an alternative case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n    \n\n<div style=\"background-image:url('https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/wp-content\/themes\/tanner-de-witt\/images\/insightdetails.jpeg')\"\n    class=\"insight-news-detail-hero\" id=\"insight-news-detail-hero\">\n\n\t\t<div style=\"background-color:\" class=\"insight-news-detail-hero-overlay \"><\/div>\n            <div class=\"z-[0]\">\n                <div class=\"insight-news-breadcrumbs flex items-end practice-areas-featured-breadcrumbs \">\n                    <a class=\"page-link no-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/\">Home<\/a>                <\/div>\n\n\n                <div class=\"hero-title\">\n                    <h1>\n                        \u201cI wasn\u2019t there but if I was, I didn\u2019t do it\u201d \u2013 Important guidance on pleading an alternative case                    <\/h1>\n                <\/div>\n                \n                    <div style=\"\" class=\"hero-date \">\n\n                        <span class=\"month\">Apr<\/span>\n                        <span class=\"day\">17<\/span>\n                        <span class=\"year\">2026<\/span>\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n    \n\n    \n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<script >\n    (function () {\n        document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", () => {\n\n            const breadCrumbsContainer = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\".practice-areas-featured-breadcrumbs\"));\n\n            breadCrumbsContainer.forEach(container => {\n                const breadCrumbLinks = Array.from(container.querySelectorAll('.page-link'));\n                const breadCrumbSeperators = Array.from(container.querySelectorAll('.separator'));\n\n                if (Array.from(breadCrumbLinks).length === 1) {\n                    const homeNode = breadCrumbLinks[0];\n\n                    if (!homeNode) {\n                        return\n                    }\n\n                    const postTypeNode = homeNode.cloneNode(true);\n                    postTypeNode.textContent = \"Insights and News\";\n                    container.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', `<span class=\"separator practice-areas-featured-breadcrumb-item-slash\">\/<\/span>`)\n                    container.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', postTypeNode)\n                    breadCrumbLinks.push(postTypeNode);\n\n                    if (\"Insights\") {\n                        const categoryNode = homeNode.cloneNode(true);\n\n                        categoryNode.textContent = \"Insights\";\n                        container.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', `<span class=\"separator practice-areas-featured-breadcrumb-item-slash\">\/<\/span>`)\n                        container.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', categoryNode)\n                        breadCrumbLinks.push(categoryNode);\n                    }\n\n\n                    const titleNode = homeNode.cloneNode(true);\n\n                    titleNode.textContent = \"\u201cI wasn\u2019t there but if I was, I didn\u2019t do it\u201d \u2013 Important guidance on pleading an alternative case\";\n                    container.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', `<span class=\"separator practice-areas-featured-breadcrumb-item-slash\">\/<\/span>`)\n                    container.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', titleNode)\n                    breadCrumbLinks.push(titleNode);\n\n\n\n\n                }\n\n                breadCrumbLinks.forEach((link, index) => {\n\n                    link.classList.add('practice-areas-featured-breadcrumb-item-name');\n                    const origin = window.location.origin;\n                    const href = window.location.href;\n\n                    const originSplitter = window.location.href.includes(\"insight-and-news\") ? \"insight-and-news\" : window.location.href.includes('insights-and-news') ? \"insights-and-news\" : \"\"\n\n                    const paths = href.split(originSplitter);\n                    const links = paths[1].split(\"\/\").filter(Boolean)\n\n\n                    const resolvedOrigin = originSplitter ? (href.split(originSplitter)[0] || \"\") : (origin + \"\/\")\n\n                    if (index === 0) {\n\n                        if (!originSplitter) {\n                            link.href = origin\n                        } else {\n                            link.href = resolvedOrigin;\n                        }\n\n\n                    } else if (index === 1) {\n                        link.href = resolvedOrigin + originSplitter\n\n                    }\n                    else if (index === 2) {\n                        console.log(links)\n                        link.href = resolvedOrigin + originSplitter + \"\/\" + (links[0] || \"\")\n                    }\n                    else if (index === 3) {\n\n                        link.href = resolvedOrigin + originSplitter + \"\/\" + (links[0] || \"\") + \"\/\" + (links[1] || \"\")\n\n                    }\n\n\n\n                    \/\/ const words = link.textContent.split(\" \")\n                    \/\/ if (words.length > 4) {\n                    \/\/     link.textContent = words.slice(0, 4).join(\" \") + \"...\"\n                    \/\/ }\n\n                })\n\n                breadCrumbSeperators.forEach(separator => {\n                    separator.textContent = \"\/\"\n                    separator.classList.add('practice-areas-featured-breadcrumb-item-slash')\n                });\n\n\n            })\n\n\n        })\n        removeDivTag()\n    })();\n\n    function removeDivTag() {\n        console.log(\"remasfljas\");\n        const editorContainer = document.querySelector(\".editor-wysiwyg\");\n        \/\/ editorContainer.innerText = editorContainer.innerText.replace(\"<\/div>\", \"\")\n        Array.from(editorContainer.childNodes).forEach(el => {\n            if (el.textContent.includes(\"<\/div>\")) {\n                el.textContent = \"\"\n            }\n        })\n    }\n<\/script>\n\n<div class=\"editor-wysiwyg my-[40px]\">\n<div class=\"single-section\">\n<p id=\"ember60\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">Generally, a party cannot plead alternative arguments which are inconsistent with each other. In <em>Maxwell Road Limited v Mo Ah Man <\/em><a class=\"xRPuXKfUpBkIORjMpZxQAvTEeNvfshyBJs \" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/legalref.judiciary.hk\/lrs\/common\/search\/search_result_detail_frame.jsp?DIS=179101&amp;QS=%28%7Bmo+ah+man%7D+%25parties%29&amp;TP=JU\" target=\"_self\" data-test-app-aware-link=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>[2026] HKCFI 1871<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em>Tanner De Witt successfully assisted the plaintiff in amending its pleadings to launch an alternative case by \u201c<em>feeding off<\/em>\u201d the defence of the defendant.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember61\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">The court confirmed that a plaintiff may amend its pleadings by \u201c<em>feeding off<\/em>\u201d the defendant\u2019s own pleaded case without falling foul of the rules prohibiting inconsistent alternative pleading. The decision provides important guidance on the proper scope of O.18 r.12A of the Rules of the High Court and on how the court will approach amendment applications of this sort.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember62\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\"><strong>Background \u2014 loans, an authorisation letter, and competing narratives<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"ember63\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">Maxwell Road Limited, as assignee, sued to recover US$150 million (approximately HK$1.17 billion) advanced to Mo Ah Man by Zhongrong International Finance Co Ltd (\u201c<strong>ZIFC<\/strong>\u201d) under two loan agreements. The defendant does not dispute receipt of the funds from ZIFC but contends that those funds were paid to her pursuant not to the loan agreements but according to an authorisation letter. It is her case that she was to make investments on the ZIFC\u2019s behalf by such authorisation letter. She further asserts that the funds were later remitted to a third party on ZIFC\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember64\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">Faced with this defence, the plaintiff sought to amend its pleadings to advance alternative causes of action for breach of trust and breach of agency duties. The amendments were framed on a \u2018<em>no admission<\/em>\u2019 basis \u2014 meaning that if the defendant\u2019s version of events were accepted at trial, the plaintiff would nevertheless contend that she remained liable for breach of duty arising out of the authorisation letter.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember65\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\"><strong>\u2018Feeding off\u2019 a defence is not inconsistent pleading<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"ember66\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">Assisted by Tanner De Witt, the plaintiff succeeded in the initial hearing of the amendment application before Master Connie Lee which took place on 6 October 2025.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember67\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">At the <em>de novo<\/em> appeal hearing before Eugene Fung J, the defendant argued that the proposed amendments amounted to impermissible inconsistent alternative pleading which failed to meet the \u201c<em>reasonable grounds<\/em>\u201d threshold under O.18 r.12A. The judge rejected that submission, accepting the plaintiff\u2019s position that it was not asserting the validity of both the loan agreements and the authorisation letter. Instead, it was relying on the defendant\u2019s own pleaded facts and advancing an alternative argument if the defendant established those facts. Given this, O.18 r.12A is not engaged.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember68\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">Even if the rule was engaged, the judge held there were in any event reasonable grounds for the plaintiff\u2019s approach, given that it was an assignee and not a party to the underlying documents, and therefore lacked direct knowledge as to which version of events was correct.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember69\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\"><strong>No affidavit evidence required on amendment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"ember70\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">The defendant also complained that the plaintiff should have adduced affidavit evidence explaining its lack of knowledge and the investigations it had undertaken to ascertain which version of facts was correct. The judge held that such evidence would be neither helpful nor necessary. At the amendment stage, the focus is on whether the proposed pleading is arguable, not on requiring evidential proof of the pleader\u2019s state of knowledge.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember71\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">This observation will be welcomed by practitioners, as it confirms that unless there are special circumstances, amendment applications should not be transformed into satellite disputes over evidence prematurely.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember72\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\"><strong>Assignability and limitation \u2014 issues for trial, not pleadings<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"ember73\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">The judge also rejected the defendant\u2019s argument that the rights under the authorisation letter were personal and therefore unassignable. He held that whether such rights are personal would depend on the proper construction of the arrangement and the parties\u2019 objective intentions \u2014 matters that were unsuitable for determination in an interlocutory hearing.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember74\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">On limitation, the judge accepted the plaintiff\u2019s cross-appeal and allowed amendments which had been disallowed by Master Connie Lee, holding that the claims arose out of the same or substantially the same facts already in issue. In doing so, the judge adopted the Court of Appeal\u2019s guidance in <a class=\"xRPuXKfUpBkIORjMpZxQAvTEeNvfshyBJs \" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/legalref.judiciary.hk\/lrs\/common\/search\/search_result_detail_frame.jsp?DIS=116367&amp;QS=%28%7BShenzhen+Futaihong%7D+%25parties%29&amp;TP=JU\" target=\"_self\" data-test-app-aware-link=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Shenzhen Futaihong<\/em><\/a> and treated parts of <a class=\"xRPuXKfUpBkIORjMpZxQAvTEeNvfshyBJs \" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/legalref.judiciary.hk\/lrs\/common\/search\/search_result_detail_frame.jsp?DIS=132022&amp;QS=%28%7BDelco%7D+%25parties%29&amp;TP=JU\" target=\"_self\" data-test-app-aware-link=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Delco<\/em><\/a> relied on by the defendant as <em>obiter<\/em> and <em>per incuriam<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ember75\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\"><strong>Why this decision matters<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"ember76\" class=\"ember-view reader-text-block__paragraph\">This decision reinforces a pragmatic and principled approach to pleadings and making amendments to pleadings. It confirms that litigants are entitled to protect their position by \u201c<em>feeding off<\/em>\u201d the counterparty\u2019s pleaded case to advance an alternative plead leading to different legal consequences. In particular, this helps prevent a defendant from obtaining an unfair advantage by pleading a defence based on assertions that the plaintiff could not have known when commencing the action and then being able to prevent the plaintiff from advancing a case based on the defendant\u2019s own version of events. Practitioners should nevertheless be cautious to avoid pleading matters that could give rise to alternative claims being advanced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a id=\"ember78\" class=\"ember-view\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tim-au-272a766b\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Au<\/a> <strong><em>(Partner), <\/em><\/strong><a id=\"ember79\" class=\"ember-view\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/robin-darton-2b100322\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Robin Darton<\/a> <strong><em>(Partner), <\/em><\/strong><a id=\"ember80\" class=\"ember-view\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/adam-hoi-b5251898\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adam Hoi<\/a><strong><em> (Associate), and <\/em><\/strong><a id=\"ember81\" class=\"ember-view\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/vanessa-gawleung\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vanessa Leung<\/a> <strong><em>(Associate) of <\/em><\/strong><a class=\"xRPuXKfUpBkIORjMpZxQAvTEeNvfshyBJs \" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/tanner-de-witt\/\" data-test-app-aware-link=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tanner De Witt<\/a> <strong><em>acted for the plaintiff, together with <\/em><\/strong><a id=\"ember82\" class=\"ember-view\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alexander-stock-sc-032301265\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alexander Stock SC<\/a> <strong><em>and <\/em><\/strong><a id=\"ember83\" class=\"ember-view\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/justin-ho-61791a34\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Justin Ho<\/a><strong><em> of <\/em><\/strong><a class=\"xRPuXKfUpBkIORjMpZxQAvTEeNvfshyBJs \" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/temple-chambers\/\" data-test-app-aware-link=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Temple Chambers<\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"single-section\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><strong><em>Tim Au, Robin Darton, Adam Hoi, Vanessa Leung<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/our-people\/tim-au\/\">Tim Au<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Partner |\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:timau@tannerdewitt.com\">Email<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"single-section\">\n<p><em>Disclaimer: This publication is general in nature and is not intended to constitute legal advice. You should seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters dealt with in this publication. This article was last updated<\/em>\u00a0<em>on 18 May 2026<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"category-list\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/tim-au\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Tim Au<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/news-media\/latest-news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Latest News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/news-media\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News &amp; Media<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/legal-updates\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Legal Updates<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/insolvency\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Insolvency<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/restructuring\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Restructuring<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/ian-de-witt2\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Ian De Witt<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Generally, a party cannot plead alternative arguments which are inconsistent with each other. In Maxwell Road Limited v Mo Ah Man [2026] HKCFI 1871, Tanner De Witt successfully assisted the plaintiff in amending its pleadings to launch an alternative case by \u201cfeeding off\u201d the defence of the defendant. The court confirmed that a plaintiff may [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":32789,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"insight-category":[1121],"insight-month":[1155],"insight-practice-area":[1122],"insight-year":[1162],"class_list":["post-32542","insight-and-news","type-insight-and-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","insight-category-legal-updates-and-insights","insight-month-april","insight-practice-area-restructuring-and-insolvency","insight-year-1162"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight-and-news\/32542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight-and-news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/insight-and-news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight-and-news\/32542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32793,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight-and-news\/32542\/revisions\/32793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32542"},{"taxonomy":"insight-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight-category?post=32542"},{"taxonomy":"insight-month","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight-month?post=32542"},{"taxonomy":"insight-practice-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight-practice-area?post=32542"},{"taxonomy":"insight-year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tannerdewitt.com\/zh-hans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight-year?post=32542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}