Court declares Raymond Ng vexatious litigant, imposes civil restraint order on wife Iris Koh
The High Court has declared businessman Raymond Ng a vexatious litigant, and imposed a general civil restraint order on his wife Iris Koh. The couple was on trial as the Attorney-General's Chambers had sought to have both of them declared vexatious litigants.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
The High Court has declared Raymond Ng a vexatious litigant and imposed a civil restraint order on his wife Iris Koh. The couple was on trial for their litigious behavior, which the court deemed to be an abuse of court processes.
Imagine you're in a big argument with someone, and you keep going to court to try and win. But the court says, 'Hey, you're just trying to annoy the other person, and that's not fair.' That's basically what happened to Raymond Ng and his wife Iris Koh. The court said they can't start new lawsuits without permission, because they've been using the court system to try and get what they want, rather than to solve real problems.
Analysis
A Vexatious Litigant's Tale: Raymond Ng's Troubling History in Court
Raymond Ng, a businessman, has been declared a vexatious litigant by the High Court. This decision comes after the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) sought to have both Ng and his wife Iris Koh declared vexatious litigants. The AGC argued that the couple has treated litigation as an 'income source' through 'various lawfare tactics'.
A vexatious litigant is someone who has habitually and persistently taken legal action against others without reasonable ground, typically with the intention of annoying or embarrassing the other party. The High Court judge Hoo Sheau Peng found that Ng had brought several legal proceedings for collateral purposes, rather than to address any genuine grievances. For example, in a defamation claim against National University of Singapore (NUS) over a professor's article in 2025, Ng said that his loss lies in not receiving a settlement sum. He also stood to gain from publicising the artificial intelligence (AI) platform he founded, GetEven.AI, for legal proceedings, as he would charge people S$1,000 to use it to 'sue those who hurt them'. Furthermore, he would seek donations from the public to cover litigation costs, and ran a 'sponsorship scheme' on TikTok where people could 'sponsor' his lawsuit and 'get returns'.
Hoo believes Ng also likely 'had the intention to annoy his opposing parties'. When claiming defamation against NUS, he 'blind-copied various non-parties' to his emails to NUS, including the Ministry of Law, Ministry of Health, the AGC, and journalists 'from major press outlets [which were] too many to list'. Based on her assessment of his legal actions, Hoo found that 'these proceedings are his preferred response to conflict even if they were not justified'.
A Pattern of Vexatious Behavior: Iris Koh's Case
Iris Koh, the wife of Raymond Ng, was also found to have engaged in vexatious behavior. However, the judge found that there was insufficient evidence to declare her a vexatious litigant. Instead, a general civil restraint order was imposed on her, which will prevent her from initiating new proceedings without the court's permission. The order is limited to two years, but this period may be extended by the court.
The Implications of the Vexatious Litigant Order
The vexatious litigant order granted against Ng prevents him from instituting any civil court proceedings without permission of the High Court. Also, any proceedings that he has already commenced cannot continue without the High Court's permission. The order will not only serve to prevent an abuse of court processes, but will also be in the interests of opposing parties. The judge clarified that the orders do not preclude Ng and Koh from seeking legal action under their legitimate rights and for genuine grievances 'they must simply seek the court's permission before doing so'.
Key points
- The High Court has declared Raymond Ng a vexatious litigant and imposed a civil restraint order on his wife Iris Koh.
- The couple was on trial for their litigious behavior, which the court deemed to be an abuse of court processes.
- The vexatious litigant order prevents Ng from instituting any new civil court proceedings without permission of the High Court.
- A general civil restraint order was imposed on Koh, which will prevent her from initiating new proceedings without the court's permission.
This decision by the High Court may help to prevent abuse of the court system and promote a more efficient use of resources. It also sends a clear message that vexatious litigants will not be tolerated in Singapore.
The imposition of a civil restraint order on Iris Koh may be seen as overly harsh, and could potentially limit her ability to seek justice in the future. Additionally, the decision may be appealed, which could lead to further delays and uncertainty.
