HKIS settles out of court and breaks ties with US-based church co-founder
An almost year-long legal dispute involving a prestigious Hong Kong international school and its US-based co-founder, a Lutheran church, has been resolved out of court, with the school making a substantial payment and ending its association with the religious body. Harold Kim, chairman of the board of managers of Hong Kong International School (HKIS), announced the move in a letter to parents on…
A prolonged legal dispute between Hong Kong International School (HKIS) and its US-based co-founder, a Lutheran church, has been settled out of court. The school's chairman, Harold Kim, announced the agreement in a letter to parents, stating that LCMS would cease legal proceedings against HKIS and mutually agree to terminate their operating agreement, concluding LCMS' governance role over the school.
The church will not use the settlement funds for profit, but instead for religious, charitable, and educational purposes. HKIS remains in a strong financial position, with HK$2.8 billion in reserves as of July 2024. School operations will continue as usual at its campuses in Repulse Bay and Tai Tam, and the planned head of school search initiated by LCMS will be halted.
The church accused HKIS of serving only the wealthy and amassing excessive reserves, while the school denied these allegations and accused the church of wanting to develop part of the campus into a commercial project.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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