Law & Justice
Singapore Court Rejects Businessman's $369,000 Claim Against Ex-Girlfriend Over Gifts
By Today News Hours Editorial Desk
A Singapore court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a businessman seeking to recover S$468,000 (about $369,200) he had spent on his former girlfriend during their relationship. The Singapore High Court ruled that the money, spent by Chander Agarwal on Felicia Lee, had been given willingly as gifts rather than loans requiring repayment.
Senior Judge Lee Seiu Kin said Agarwal, CEO of a logistics company, had shown a consistent pattern of giving Lee, a former flight attendant, expensive gifts even before they formally became a couple. The judge noted that Agarwal had repeatedly reassured Lee that he did not expect any repayment for these gifts.
The pair met on a flight in 2019 and were in a romantic relationship from September 2022 until December 2023. Their relationship ended after Agarwal suspected Lee of having an affair. He filed the lawsuit in March 2024, claiming that Lee had requested various interest-free loans throughout their relationship, including S$206,000 in credit card charges, S$129,000 for overseas trips, S$17,000 to hire a feng shui consultant for her apartment, and S$20,000 toward her life insurance premiums.
Lee maintained that the payments were gifts given out of love and affection, not loans. The judge sided with her, pointing out that Agarwal failed to provide documentary evidence supporting his claims, including any proof that Lee had acknowledged receiving loans from him.
Judge Lee stated that the evidence clearly showed Agarwal, smitten with Lee, had showered her with expensive gifts during their relationship. He added that after the relationship ended badly, Agarwal became embittered and sought to extract compensation from her. The judge described Agarwal as a man of considerable wealth with expensive tastes, unlike Lee, who was not in a similar financial position. Text messages presented in court reportedly showed Lee expressing surprise at Agarwal's expensive gift suggestions and, at times, reluctance to accept them.
In his written judgment, the judge quoted English playwright William Congreve's line from The Mourning Bride: "Heav'n has no rage, like love to hatred turn'd, nor hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd," adding that such emotions are not exclusive to one gender.
The case follows a similar incident in early 2023 involving another Singaporean man, K Kawshigan, who filed two lawsuits exceeding S$3 million against a woman, Nora Tan, after she rejected his romantic advances, claiming emotional trauma and reputational damage. Singapore courts dismissed his claims, and Tan subsequently countersued Kawshigan to recover costs she incurred while defending herself against his alleged harassment.