POONGOTHAI KUPPUSAMY v HUATIONG CONTRACTOR PTE LTD & Anor

[2023] SGHC 215 High Court (General Division) 4 August 2023 HC/S 808/2020

22 cases cited Cited by 4 cases

Key facts

Court	High Court (General Division)
Decided	4 August 2023
Judge	Kwek Mean Luck
Charges / claim	Damages
Counsel	Central Chambers Law Corporation, Tito Isaac & Co LLP, Cassandra Kang, Gokulamurali s/o Haridas, Mark Ho En Tian, Ramasamy s/o Karuppan Chettiar, Wong Hui Min

Source: [2023] SGHC 215, High Court (General Division), decided 4 August 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Damages — Assessment Damages — Mitigation — Tort Damages — Special damages Damages — Measure of damages — Personal injuries cases

Practice Areas

Damages

Judges (1)

Kwek Mean Luck Delivered

Counsel (7)

Central Chambers Law Corporation Firm Tito Isaac & Co LLP Firm

Cassandra Kang Counsel for the defendant

Gokulamurali s/o Haridas Counsel for the defendant

Mark Ho En Tian Counsel for the plaintiff

Ramasamy s/o Karuppan Chettiar Counsel for the plaintiff Wong Hui Min Counsel for the defendant

Parties (3)

Huationg Contractor Pte Ltd Defendant

Guru Murti A/L Maheshrou Defendant

Poongothai Kuppusamy Plaintiff

Case Significance

Poongothai Kuppusamy v Huationg Contractor Pte Ltd and another [2023] SGHC 215 is a reserved judgment of the General Division of the High Court delivered on 4 August 2023 in Suit No 808 of 2020, with Kwek Mean Luck J presiding. The plaintiff, Ms Poongothai Kuppusamy, a Malaysian citizen who was 48 years old and employed as a Security Officer, was involved in a road traffic accident on 23 September 2017. The first defendant, Huationg Contractor Pte Ltd, a company incorporated in Singapore, had been found wholly liable for her injuries in an earlier decision reported at [2021] SGHC 108, and the second defendant is Mr Guru Murti a/l Maheshrou. This judgment concerns the assessment of damages that followed, addressing the measure of damages in personal injuries cases, special damages, and mitigation in tort.

Summary

Ms Poongothai Kuppusamy, a security officer injured in a 2017 road traffic accident that required a below-the-knee amputation of her left limb, sought an assessment of damages after Huationg Contractor Pte Ltd was found wholly liable. The High Court assessed her general and special damages, including pain and suffering, future medical and transport expenses, and loss of earnings. It awarded her total damages of S$838,224.52.

What was Poongothai Kuppusamy v Huationg Contractor Pte Ltd [2023] SGHC 215 about?

It was the assessment of damages before Kwek Mean Luck J, delivered on 4 August 2023, following a road traffic accident on 23 September 2017 involving the plaintiff Ms Poongothai Kuppusamy, addressing the measure of damages, special damages and mitigation in tort.

Who was found liable in [2023] SGHC 215?

The first defendant, Huationg Contractor Pte Ltd, a company incorporated in Singapore, had been found wholly liable for the plaintiff's injuries in an earlier decision reported at [2021] SGHC 108, and the assessment of damages then took place before Kwek Mean Luck J.

Cases Cited (22)

SG (6)

[1992] SGHC 31 [2002] SGDC 189 [2012] SGHC 33 [2016] SGHC 266 [2021] SGHC 108 [2023] SGCA 21

SLR (16)

[1994] 1 SLR(R) 340 [1998] 3 SLR(R) 551 [2005] 4 SLR(R) 14 [2008] 1 SLR(R) 178 [2010] 3 SLR 587 [2012] 3 SLR 1003 [2012] 3 SLR 496 [2013] 4 SLR 1317 [2016] 3 SLR 1106 [2016] 4 SLR 829 [2017] 2 SLR 229 [2018] 3 SLR 244 [2019] 1 SLR 230 [2021] 1 SLR 689 [2021] 5 SLR 1111 [2022] 4 SLR 1045