HKIS paid substantial amount to US church co-founder to end ‘bad marriage’: source
The US church group that co-founded Hong Kong International School (HKIS) accepted an out-of-court payment to end a “bad marriage”, a source has told the South China Morning Post, saying their differences would have led to more litigation if the partnership had continued. The source familiar with the settlement said the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), which sued the school for allegedly…
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), co-founder of Hong Kong International School (HKIS), agreed to pay a substantial sum to the school to dissolve their "bad marriage," according to a source. The church and school had fundamental differences that would have led to more litigation if the partnership had continued, the source said.
The LCMS accused HKIS of serving only the "rich and privileged few" and violating its mission, while the school claimed the church's legal actions were financially motivated, as they had explored options for a commercial project on the Repulse Bay campus. Despite ongoing disputes, the LCMS remained the registered owner of the campus.
HKIS and the church's American business professionals co-founded it in 1966, with HKISAL established in 1974 to manage the school. The partnership deteriorated in 2022, leading to multiple disputes over management. The mediation process, involving former Hong Kong chief justice Geoffrey Ma Tao-li, was deemed valuable by the source, but no agreement was reached. HKISAL declined to comment on the payout amount or if they initiated the offer.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
