LEE HUI CHIN v CHUBB INSURANCE SINGAPORE LIMITED

Case Significance

Lee Hui Chin v Chubb Insurance Singapore Ltd [2024] SGHC 69 was decided by the General Division of the High Court of Singapore on 14 March 2024, in Originating Application No 902 of 2023, with grounds of decision delivered by Chua Lee Ming J following a hearing on 1 November 2023. The applicant, Mdm Lee Hui Chin, applied under s 10 of the Arbitration Act 2001 (2020 Rev Ed) to extend the time fixed by the terms of an arbitration agreement for referring disputes to arbitration, and the court granted the application. According to the judgment, the applicant was the policyholder of two insurance policies taken out with the respondent, Chubb Insurance Singapore Limited, under which the insured person was the applicant's spouse (the "Deceased"). The policies provided for Accidental Death Benefits payable in the event of death resulting from accidental injury, and required any dispute to be referred to arbitration commenced three months from the day the parties were unable to settle it. The judgment records that on 2 April 2021 the Deceased fell while riding his bicycle and was found unconscious in an uncovered drain, was brought to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, remained unconscious until removed from life support on 9 April 2021, and passed away thereafter; his daughter Ms Rachel Teng was referred to in the account of events. The catchwords record that the case concerned an extension of time for the commencement of arbitration. The applicant was represented by Raj Singh Shergill and Chua Gek Yee of Lee Shergill LLP, with the respondent represented by counsel including Kevin Kwek Yiu Wing, Sourish Sinha and Tan Yiting Gina of Legal Solutions LLC. The judgment also referenced the Arbitration Act and the Foreign Limitation Periods Act.