A JUDGE who asked during a divorce settlement hearing if the
wife involved was attractive was not being biased, the High Court
has ruled.
Dismissing a move by the woman for a judicial review of the
case, Justice Choo Han Teck said that was not an irrelevant
question for a judge to ask.
He said the court could take into account a woman's prospects of
remarriage when deciding the financial support she should receive
from her former husband, and whether it ought to be a lump sum
rather than monthly payments.
Justice Choo's judgment, released on Thursday, explained why he
rejected the woman's application for a judicial review to set aside
the court orders to settle maintenance issues between her and her
former husband.
Lawyers contacted on Thursday said that in deciding on
maintenance for a divorced woman, the court could consider her
attractiveness.
That did not mean only her looks but also other attributes, such
as her character, that might affect her prospects of marrying
again, said family lawyer Koh Tien Hua.
-- ST