TAN MEOW HIANG v ONG KAY YONG

[2023] SGHC 286 High Court (General Division) 10 October 2023 HC/DCA 1/2023

12 cases cited (9 SG, 3 foreign) Cited by 1 case

Outcome

Application refused

“I reject the defendant’s request to make the instalment order sought in relation to costs of the appeal and the judgment sum arising from the underlying suit.”

Source: [2023] SGHC 286, High Court (General Division), decided 10 October 2023. Read directly from the judgment.

Key facts

Court	High Court (General Division)
Decided	10 October 2023
Judge	Goh Yihan
Charges / claim	Civil Procedure
Outcome	Application refused
Counsel	Constellation Law Chambers LLC, JLim Law Corporation, Jheong Siew Yin, Lim Huat Sing Julian Sebastian, Tay Sheng Xiang Kesmond

Source: [2023] SGHC 286, High Court (General Division), decided 10 October 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Civil Procedure — Costs — Instalment order

Practice Areas

Civil Procedure

Judges (1)

Goh Yihan Delivered

Counsel (5)

Constellation Law Chambers LLC Firm JLim Law Corporation Firm Jheong Siew Yin Counsel for the appellant Lim Huat Sing Julian Sebastian Counsel for the respondent Tay Sheng Xiang Kesmond Counsel for the respondent

Parties (2)

Ong Kay Yong t/a Wee Wee Laundry Service Respondent

Tan Meow Hiang t/a Chip Huat Appellant

Case Significance

Tan Meow Hiang (trading as Chip Huat) v Ong Kay Yong (trading as Wee Wee Laundry Service) [2023] SGHC 286 is a reserved judgment of Goh Yihan J in the General Division of the High Court, delivered on 10 October 2023 in District Court Appeal No 1 of 2023. The decision concerns the appropriate costs order following the substantive appeal reported at [2023] SGHC 218, where the defendant prayed for instalment orders in relation to both the costs of the appeal and the judgment sum arising from the underlying suit. That underlying District Court suit involved a dispute between relatives over the ownership of Wee Wee Laundry Service, in which the plaintiff claimed $140,000 or transfer of the business, and the defendant counterclaimed $127,500; Goh Yihan J set out his reasons given the few local decisions on instalment orders.

Summary

This decision addressed the appropriate costs order following an appeal in a dispute between relatives over ownership of Wee Wee Laundry Service, in which the plaintiff's appeal against a $72,200 award to the defendant had been allowed. The defendant sought instalment orders for the costs and judgment sum, citing diminished income and poor health. The High Court awarded the plaintiff $35,000 in all-in costs and declined to make the instalment orders sought.

What was Tan Meow Hiang v Ong Kay Yong [2023] SGHC 286 about?

It was Goh Yihan J's decision, delivered on 10 October 2023, on the appropriate costs order and the defendant's request for instalment orders following the substantive District Court appeal reported at [2023] SGHC 218 concerning Wee Wee Laundry Service.

Why did the court give written reasons on instalment orders in [2023] SGHC 286?

Goh Yihan J explained that, because there are only a handful of local decisions on instalment orders, he set out reasons for his decision on the defendant's request for instalment payment of the appeal costs and the judgment sum from the underlying suit.