CHAN WAI LEEN, as the Administratrix of the estate of Wong Ching Fong, deceased (NRIC No. SXXXXXXXI), and in her personal capacity & Anor v HO DAT KHOON

Case Significance

Chan Wai Leen (in her personal capacity and as the administratrix of the estate of Wong Ching Fong, deceased) and another v Ho Dat Khoon [2024] SGHC(A) 24 was decided by the Appellate Division of the High Court of Singapore in Civil Appeal No 57 of 2023, with Woo Bih Li JAD delivering the grounds of decision of the court, sitting with Kannan Ramesh JAD and Philip Jeyaretnam J. The appeal was heard on 7 May 2024 and the grounds were issued on 28 August 2024. It was an appeal against the decision of a judge in the General Division of the High Court in HC/S 1095/2020, the action having been commenced by Mdm Ho Dat Khoon as plaintiff against two defendants: Mdm Chan Wai Leen, sued as administratrix of the estate of her late husband Mr Wong Ching Fong (Alan) and in her personal capacity, and their second daughter Ms Wong Cai Juan.

The parties were related, Mr Wong having been the nephew of the plaintiff, making Mdm Chan the plaintiff's niece-in-law and Ms Wong Cai Juan a grandniece of the plaintiff. In Suit 1095, the plaintiff mainly sought to invalidate the transfer of a property at Emerald Hill Road from her to the second defendant. The catchwords identify the issues as the avoidance of gifts and civil procedure costs, and the matter engaged the Land Titles Act, the Legal Profession Act and the Supreme Court of Judicature Act. The appellants were represented by Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP, while Loh Eben Ong LLP and UniLegal LLC acted for the respondent.