Hong Kong Journalist Denies Concealing Settlement Demand in Wrongful Termination Case
former Wall Street Journal reporter Selina Cheng has denied intentionally concealing her request for a HK$3 million settlement from Hong Kong’s labour authorities in her wrongful termination lawsuit against the American newspaper.
Appearing before Principal magistrate David Cheung at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday, Cheng also denied claims that she hid the data to mask her “ulterior purpose” of seeking money.
Cheng, the chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, is accusing Dow Jones Publishing co. (Asia) Inc – the newspaper’s parent company – of firing her in July 2024 over her leadership of the union.
Senior Counsel Benson Tsoi, representing the parent company, stated that Cheng “deliberately” concealed from the labour Department that she had demanded HK$3 million from her former employer. Cheng refuted this claim.
Dow Jones pleaded not guilty last month to one count of preventing or deterring an employee from exercising the right to hold office in a trade union, and another count of terminating employment, penalising, or discriminating against an employee for exercising that right.
Settlement
Tsoi cited email correspondence from late 2024 in which Cheng’s lawyer requested mediation from the publisher’s legal representatives,specifically seeking a settlement of HK$3 million.
He then referenced an email Cheng sent to the Labour Department, where she indicated she did not intend to participate in mediation proceedings, a statement Tsoi labelled “utterly untrue.”
“I suggest to you that you deliberately did not update the case officer of the Labour Department about the continued demands you made thru your lawyers to the company,” Tsoi said.
Cheng denied the accusation, stating she informed the department she did not intend to mediate as she was always…
