Wong Leng Si Rachel v Wu Su Han Olivia: Defamation Claim over Instagram Posts and Specific Discovery Appeal

Wong Leng Si Rachel, a social media influencer, sued Wu Su Han Olivia for defamation based on Instagram posts. The High Court of Singapore heard an appeal against the order for specific discovery against the plaintiff. The plaintiff claimed the defendant's posts implied infidelity and other negative attributes. The defendant sought correspondence and diary entries related to Alan Wan. Choo Han Teck J dismissed the appeal, finding the requested documents relevant and material to the trial.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

General Division of the High Court

1.2 Outcome

Appeal dismissed.

1.3 Case Type

Civil

1.4 Judgment Type

Judgment

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Appeal regarding specific discovery in a defamation case involving Instagram posts. The plaintiff, a social media influencer, claims defamation by the defendant's posts.

1.7 Decision Date

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party NameRoleTypeOutcomeOutcome TypeCounsels
Wong Leng Si RachelAppellant, PlaintiffIndividualAppeal dismissedLost
Wu Su Han OliviaRespondent, DefendantIndividualDiscovery order upheldWon

3. Judges

Judge NameTitleDelivered Judgment
Choo Han TeckJudge of the High CourtYes

4. Counsels

Counsel NameOrganization
Clarence Lun YaodongFervent Chambers LLC
Glenn Chua Ze XuanPDLegal LLC
Gerard Quek Wen JiangPDLegal LLC

4. Facts

  1. Plaintiff is a social media influencer who claims to have 41,400 Instagram followers.
  2. Defendant works for a pharmaceutical company and is a part-time nurse with approximately 1,900 Instagram followers.
  3. Defendant posted statements on Instagram under the title “Cheatersof2020” on 21 December 2020.
  4. Plaintiff claims the statements implied she committed infidelity on her wedding day.
  5. Plaintiff claims the statements implied she had sexual relations with the master of ceremonies at her wedding.
  6. Plaintiff left for India a few days after her wedding and applied to annul the marriage upon her return.
  7. Defendant produced text messages and a journal entry suggesting the plaintiff's affection for Alan Wan.

5. Formal Citations

  1. Wong Leng Si Rachel v Wu Su Han Olivia, , [2022] SGHC 151
  2. Wong Leng Si Rachel v Wu Su Han Olivia, Registrar Appeal from State Courts No 10 of 2022, Registrar Appeal from State Courts No 10 of 2022

6. Timeline

DateEvent
Plaintiff married Ander Alpin.
Defendant posted statements on Instagram.
Hearing date.
Hearing date.
Judgment reserved.

7. Legal Issues

  1. Specific Discovery
    • Outcome: The court found that the documents sought were relevant and material for the trial and that the application was neither scandalous nor vexatious. The court also found that it was not a mere fishing expedition.
    • Category: Procedural
    • Sub-Issues:
      • Relevance of documents
      • Whether the application was scandalous and vexatious
      • Fishing expedition
    • Related Cases:
      • [2002] 1 SLR(R) 604
  2. Defamation
    • Outcome: The court did not rule on the merits of the defamation claim.
    • Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

  1. Damages for defamation

9. Cause of Actions

  • Defamation

10. Practice Areas

  • Litigation

11. Industries

  • Pharmaceutical
  • Social Media

12. Cited Cases

Case NameCourtAffirmedCitationJurisdictionSignificance
Soh Lup Chee v Seow Boon Cheong and anotherHigh CourtYes[2002] 1 SLR(R) 604SingaporeCited by the plaintiff, but the court found that it did not help the plaintiff's case.

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

  • Social media influencer
  • Instagram
  • Defamation
  • Specific discovery
  • Relevance
  • Scandalous
  • Vexatious
  • Fishing expedition

15.2 Keywords

  • defamation
  • instagram
  • social media
  • discovery
  • singapore
  • high court

17. Areas of Law

Area NameRelevance Score
Defamation80
Civil Practice75
Evidence60
Litigation50
Costs20
Misrepresentation10
Cannabis Law0

16. Subjects

  • Civil Procedure
  • Defamation