Serene Tiong

SINGAPORE — A woman who had an extramarital affair with her psychiatrist has failed in her lawsuit against him, after she sued him for negligence for ...

Justice Tan wrote: “In my view, Ms Tiong displayed a willing readiness to compromise the court process for her own personal vendetta… Ms Tiong “vacillated repeatedly” on how many Xanax tablets Dr Chan gave her, Justice Tan found. When Dr Chan wanted to end the relationship, Ms Tiong had demanded a branded Cartier watch and S$150,000 from Dr Chan. He then reported her to the police for extortion. “Although I have ruled against Ms Tiong, Dr Chan has borne, and will continue to bear, the shame of having his wanton and depraved behaviour aired in public for all to see.Justice Tan Siong Thye” The High Court judge also agreed with the Court of Appeal’s findings in August 2020 that Ms Tiong was “clearly on a quest for revenge”. Justice Tan then found that as a result, Dr Chan did not breach his duty of care to Ms Tiong. The judge also rubbished her claim that she suffered from Xanax dependency. As for the amount of losses, Justice Tan said that Ms Tiong’s lawyer belatedly raised that Dr Chan was liable for S$250,000 worth of damages, on the basis that she requires lifelong treatment for Xanax addiction. In her current negligence lawsuit against Dr Chan, Ms Tiong claimed that he gave her an addictive drug and that he told her he was committed to a long-term and exclusive sexual relationship with her. Justice Tan found Dr Chan’s version of events to be more credible, ruling that Ms Tiong’s evidence on this “crucial pillar” of the case was “gravely inconsistent and irreconcilable”. In his defence, Dr Chan argued that other psychiatrists continued to prescribe Xanax to Ms Tiong after they broke up and their communications did not support her assertion that she suffered side effects from taking the drug. Justice Tan echoed this on Tuesday, writing in his 104-page grounds of decision that Dr Chan’s exploitation of Ms Tiong and other women “for his own perverse desires is debauched, degenerate and highly deserving of censure”. Ms Tiong lodged a complaint with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) and emailed her complaint to other doctors, writing that Dr Chan and Dr Ong were colluding to take advantage of vulnerable female patients.