TEY LENG YEN v MAI XUN YAO

[2023] SGHC 194 High Court (General Division) 19 July 2023 HC/OA 391/2023 25 min read

13 cases cited (11 SG, 2 foreign)

Key facts

Court	High Court (General Division)
Decided	19 July 2023
Judge	Tan Siong Thye
Charges / claim	Civil Procedure
Counsel	RHTLaw Asia LLP, Titanium Law Chambers LLC, Isabel Ho Ci Xian (Isabel He Cixian), Kwong Yan Li Callie, Ng Hweelon, Sharon Chong Chin Yee

Source: [2023] SGHC 194, High Court (General Division), decided 19 July 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Civil Procedure — Appeals — Leave

Practice Areas

Civil Procedure

Judges (1)

Tan Siong Thye Delivered

Counsel (6)

RHTLaw Asia LLP Firm Titanium Law Chambers LLC Firm Isabel Ho Ci Xian (Isabel He Cixian) Counsel Applicant Kwong Yan Li Callie Counsel Respondent Ng Hweelon Counsel Applicant Sharon Chong Chin Yee Counsel Respondent

Parties (2)

Mai Xun Yao Respondent Tey Leng Yen Applicant

Case Significance

Tey Leng Yen v Mai Xun Yao [2023] SGHC 194 is an ex tempore judgment of Tan Siong Thye SJ in the General Division of the High Court, delivered on 19 July 2023 in Originating Application No 391 of 2023. The applicant, Tey Leng Yen, sought permission to appeal against the District Judge's decision in Registrar's Appeal DC/RA 85/2022, where the DJ had allowed Mai Xun Yao's appeal against the Deputy Registrar's award of costs of $40,000 in Tey's favour. The DJ found that the Deputy Registrar had not taken into account an offer to settle made by the respondent before trial and rejected by the applicant, and accordingly reversed the award and ordered costs of $20,000 in Mai Xun Yao's favour; the applicant then applied in DC/SUM 706/2023 for permission to appeal, which the DJ denied.

[2023] SGHC 194 explained

TEY LENG YEN v MAI XUN YAO ([2023] SGHC 194) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 19 July 2023. It is categorised under Civil Procedure. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.

What is [2023] SGHC 194 about?

TEY LENG YEN v MAI XUN YAO ([2023] SGHC 194) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2023. Its published catchwords are “Civil Procedure — Appeals — Leave”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Summary

Tey Leng Yen sought permission to appeal against a District Judge's costs decision which had reversed a Deputy Registrar's award of $40,000 in her favour and instead awarded $20,000 to the respondent Mai Xun Yao, on the basis of an offer to settle that had not been considered. The High Court held there was no prima facie case of error or question of general principle decided for the first time and dismissed the application for permission to appeal.

What was Tey Leng Yen v Mai Xun Yao [2023] SGHC 194 about?

It was an application before Tan Siong Thye SJ, decided on 19 July 2023, in which Tey Leng Yen sought permission to appeal a District Judge's costs decision in Registrar's Appeal DC/RA 85/2022 concerning a dispute with Mai Xun Yao.

How did the costs award change in [2023] SGHC 194?

The Deputy Registrar had awarded costs of $40,000 in Tey Leng Yen's favour. Finding an offer to settle had not been considered, the District Judge reversed this and ordered costs of $20,000 in Mai Xun Yao's favour, with disbursements to be fixed if not agreed.