Chee Jok Heng Stephanie v Tan Kian Meng William: Loan Recovery & Property Investment Dispute

In Chee Jok Heng Stephanie v Tan Kian Meng William, the High Court of Singapore addressed a claim by Ms. Chee for the recovery of loans made to Mr. Tan and a dispute over the apportionment of profits and losses from two properties purchased in Ms. Chee's name with contributions from Mr. Tan. The court found in favor of Ms. Chee regarding the loan recovery, determining that the funds were indeed loans and not gifts. The court also ruled on Mr. Tan's counterclaim regarding the property investments, finding that profits and losses should be shared equally. Ultimately, the court ordered a net payment from Ms. Chee to Mr. Tan after setting off the respective amounts.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court

1.2 Outcome

Judgment for Plaintiff on loan claim; Judgment for Defendant on counterclaim regarding property investment.

1.3 Case Type

Civil

1.4 Judgment Type

Grounds of Decision

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Stephanie Chee sues William Tan for loan recovery and property investment apportionment. The court ruled on loan repayments and profit/loss sharing from property sales.

1.7 Decision Date

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party NameRoleTypeOutcomeOutcome TypeCounsels
Chee Jok Heng StephaniePlaintiffIndividualClaim Allowed in PartPartial
Tan Kian Meng WilliamDefendantIndividualCounterclaim AllowedWon

3. Judges

Judge NameTitleDelivered Judgment
Tay Yong KwangJudgeYes

4. Counsels

Counsel NameOrganization
Andrew J HanamAndrew LLC
Jimmy Yim Wing KuenDrew & Napier LLC
Darrell Low Kim BoonDrew & Napier LLC
Teo Kai XiangDrew & Napier LLC

4. Facts

  1. Plaintiff made payments to or on behalf of the defendant between 2000 and 2005.
  2. Defendant claimed the payments were 'love gifts'.
  3. Plaintiff claimed the payments were loans to be repaid after defendant finished his studies.
  4. Plaintiff purchased two properties, Maplewoods and One Tree Hill, with financial contributions from the defendant.
  5. Maplewoods was sold for a profit, while One Tree Hill was sold at a loss.
  6. Parties disputed the terms of their investment agreement regarding the properties.

5. Formal Citations

  1. Chee Jok Heng Stephanie v Tan Kian Meng William, Suit No 595 of 2009, [2010] SGHC 208

6. Timeline

DateEvent
Plaintiff and defendant were introduced.
Defendant requested a supplementary credit card from plaintiff.
Defendant requested monthly loan of $1000 from plaintiff.
Plaintiff purchased Maplewoods Condominium.
Plaintiff purchased One Tree Hill Lodge unit.
Defendant graduated from the University of Newcastle.
Plaintiff returned $274,959.21 to the defendant for One Tree Hill purchase.
Plaintiff sent a letter of demand to the defendant.
Plaintiff's reply submissions received by the court.
Judgment reserved.

7. Legal Issues

  1. Loan Recovery
    • Outcome: The court found that the money transferred from the plaintiff to the defendant was a loan, not a gift.
    • Category: Substantive
  2. Breach of Investment Agreement
    • Outcome: The court determined the terms of the investment agreement and how profits and losses from the properties should be divided.
    • Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

  1. Monetary Damages
  2. Indemnity for Losses

9. Cause of Actions

  • Breach of Contract
  • Recovery of Money Lent

10. Practice Areas

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Property Investment Disputes

11. Industries

  • Real Estate

12. Cited Cases

Case NameCourtAffirmedCitationJurisdictionSignificance
No cited cases

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute NameJurisdiction
No applicable statutes

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

  • Loan
  • Love Gift
  • Investment Agreement
  • Property
  • Maplewoods
  • One Tree Hill
  • Profit
  • Loss
  • Indemnity

15.2 Keywords

  • loan recovery
  • property investment
  • contract dispute
  • Singapore
  • High Court

17. Areas of Law

Area NameRelevance Score
Contract Law70
Property Law65
Civil Litigation50
Loans45
Evidence Law40
Investment Disputes35
Family Law30
Estoppel20

16. Subjects

  • Contract Dispute
  • Loan Agreement
  • Property Investment