CHIA SOO KIANG (SUING AS THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND SUCCESSOR OF TAN YAW LAN, DECEASED) v TAN TOCK SENG HOSPITAL PTE. LTD. & 3 Ors

[2023] SGHC 56 High Court (General Division) 10 March 2023 HC/S 554/2019 4 min read

Cited by 2 cases

Key facts

Court	High Court (General Division)
Decided	10 March 2023
Judge	Choo Han Teck
Charges / claim	Civil procedure
Counsel	Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP, Fervent Chambers LLC, Clarence Tan Ming Yew, Lee Qiu Li, Low Hong Quan, Lydia Yeow Ye Xi, Mar Seow Hwei

Source: [2023] SGHC 56, High Court (General Division), decided 10 March 2023 — eLitigation. Updated 10 July 2026.

Catchwords

Civil procedure - Costs - Quantum

Practice Areas

Civil procedure

Judges (1)

Choo Han Teck Delivered

Counsel (7)

Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP Firm Fervent Chambers LLC Firm Clarence Tan Ming Yew Counsel Plaintiff Lee Qiu Li Counsel Defendant Low Hong Quan Counsel Plaintiff Lydia Yeow Ye Xi Counsel Defendant Mar Seow Hwei Counsel Defendant

Parties (5)

Tan Tock Seng Hospital Pte Ltd Defendant Chia Soo Kiang (personal representative of the estate of Tan Yaw Lan, deceased) Plaintiff Dr Dorai Raj D. Appadorai Defendant Dr Lee Wei Sheng Defendant Dr Ranjana Acharya Defendant

Case Significance

Chia Soo Kiang (personal representative of the estate of Tan Yaw Lan, deceased) v Tan Tock Seng Hospital Pte Ltd and others [2023] SGHC 56 is a costs decision of Choo Han Teck J in the General Division of the High Court on Suit No 554 of 2019, delivered on 10 March 2023 under Civil procedure — Costs — Quantum. The plaintiff sued Tan Tock Seng Hospital Pte Ltd and three doctors — Dr Dorai Raj D. Appadorai, Dr Lee Wei Sheng and Dr Ranjana Acharya — and the defendants relied on an open $15,000 offer to settle made on 24 April 2020, which the plaintiff did not accept before the claim was dismissed on 13 October 2022. The judge found no reason not to award the defendants indemnity costs from 25 April 2020 under O 22A r 9(3) of the Rules of Court, and considered their request for costs fixed at $625,500 plus disbursements of $156,107.21 for a trial spanning eight full days and two half days.

[2023] SGHC 56 explained

CHIA SOO KIANG (SUING AS THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND SUCCESSOR OF TAN YAW LAN, DECEASED) v TAN TOCK SENG HOSPITAL PTE. LTD. & 3 Ors ([2023] SGHC 56) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 10 March 2023. It is categorised under Civil procedure. Within this corpus it has since been cited by 2 other reported Singapore judgments, a measure of how often later decisions have referred to it. 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 56 about?

CHIA SOO KIANG (SUING AS THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND SUCCESSOR OF TAN YAW LAN, DECEASED) v TAN TOCK SENG HOSPITAL PTE. LTD. & 3 Ors ([2023] SGHC 56) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2023. Its published catchwords are “Civil procedure - Costs - Quantum”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

How influential is [2023] SGHC 56?

Within this corpus, [2023] SGHC 56 has been cited by 2 later reported Singapore judgments. That count reflects references from other decisions held in this corpus only and is a conservative lower bound on how often the case has actually been cited.

Summary

This was a costs decision following the dismissal of a medical negligence claim brought by Chia Soo Kiang, as personal representative of a deceased estate, against Tan Tock Seng Hospital and three doctors. The defendants sought indemnity costs on the basis of an unaccepted offer to settle of $15,000. The court awarded indemnity costs fixed at $600,000 plus disbursements of $156,107.21, noting the amount was high and might not be recoverable from the estate.

What did the court decide on costs in Chia Soo Kiang v Tan Tock Seng Hospital [2023] SGHC 56?

Choo Han Teck J found no reason not to award the defendants indemnity costs from 25 April 2020 under O 22A r 9(3) of the Rules of Court, after the plaintiff did not accept an open $15,000 offer to settle and the claim was dismissed on 13 October 2022.

How much did the defendants seek in Chia Soo Kiang v Tan Tock Seng Hospital ([2023] SGHC 56)?

The defendants sought costs of the action fixed at $625,500 and disbursements of $156,107.21, the latter appearing high for a trial spanning eight full days and two half days, following their unaccepted $15,000 offer to settle of 24 April 2020.