TVB's Royal Palace Maid Sues Wealthy Sister-in-law for Defamation Leading to Miscarriage, Wins Lawsuit After Six Years

Known as the 'royal palace maid' in Hong Kong TVB dramas, 2007 Miss Hong Kong pageant contestant Cheung Wai Yee (张韦怡), who married wealthy second-generation boyfriend Poon Tak Hung in 2014 and gave birth to a son, filed a defamation lawsuit in the High Court against her sister-in-law Poon Bik Yuk in 2020. After a lengthy trial, she finally won the case.

Poon Bik Yuk was ultimately ordered to pay over HKD 3.12 million (approximately MYR 1.6125 million) plus interest in compensation. Having just won the lawsuit and received a huge payout, Cheung Wai Yee recently shared a glamorous photo with a supercar on social media, displaying a 'victorious smile' and dispelling the haze from years of family feuds.

42-year-old Cheung Wai Yee was dissatisfied that Poon Bik Yuk had publicly slandered her as 'materialistic' on social media in 2020, prompting her to file a defamation lawsuit. Cheung Wai Yee stated that after giving birth to a child for the Poon family, her father-in-law gifted her millions of HKD (505,900 MYR), which made her sister-in-law jealous. She also revealed that the latter’s husband, although also a second-generation wealthy, was incapable of making money. She added that these accusations caused her tremendous mental distress and even led to a miscarriage.

Poon Bik Yuk refuted this claim, asserting that she came from a privileged background and never worried about material needs, so would not have been jealous simply because Cheung Wai Yee received a million-dollar gift. As early as June 2020, she had already described Cheung Wai Yee on social media and to the press as 'materialistic,' saying her 'greed for money is astonishing.' She pointed out that the million-dollar gift from her father was supposed to be an education fund for the child, but Cheung Wai Yee had used it for her own studies in Beijing.

Poon Bik Yuk also filed a counterclaim, accusing her sister-in-law of maliciously spreading rumors and slandering her, such as 'practicing witchcraft to harm her,' 'casting spells,' 'raising ghost babies,' 'covering the eyes of the Guanyin statue at home with a red cloth,' 'hiring helpers to do many terrifying things,' and even remotely accusing her two brothers of 'aggressively seeking to seize interests,' etc. Poon Bik Yuk believed that Cheung Wai Yee’s real intent was to take over the family assets.

In the end, the judge formally ruled in early June in favor of Cheung Wai Yee and dismissed all of Poon Bik Yuk’s counterclaims.

After winning the case, Cheung Wai Yee issued a statement: 'The truth will never be absent!' She described the case as a long and extremely difficult and sorrowful ordeal, but chose to trust the law and the judiciary. She remarked that there are 'no real winners' in this lawsuit, as the harm to reputation and the loss of a life are damages that no verdict can fully compensate.