Court awards over $417k in accident claim, lashes NTUC Income for ‘wholly unreasonable’ conduct

The court ordered NTUC Income to pay $122,889.52 for medical expenses, even those covered by MediShield Life.

ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY Article Publish Date: 01 October 2025, By Selina Lum Summary

• NTUC Income was criticised by the court for "wholly unreasonable behaviour" in refusing to pay claims to Mr Ko, who suffered brain injuries in 2019.

• The court ordered NTUC Income to pay $122,889.52 for medical expenses, even those covered by MediShield Life, deeming their objections "callous and meritless".

• The insurer was also ordered to pay for ambulance expenses and damages for pain and suffering, with the court questioning their "unyielding stance" and arguments. SINGAPORE – A district court awarded more than $417,000 in damages to the family of an elderly man who suffered severe brain injuries from a traffic accident, lambasting NTUC Income over its refusal to pay certain claims.

  Deputy Registrar Kim Bum Soo made it clear that his judgment, which was published on Oct 1, documents the insurer’s “wholly unreasonable behaviour” and “represents the court’s unmixed dissatisfaction with the manner in which NTUC Income has conducted itself”.

  He said: “NTUC Income’s unfounded objections – it refused to provide explanations for some of its objections even when pointedly questioned – read like the sort of casually impersonal stonewalling that some would associate with the worst administrative processes.” The case concerned Mr Ko Wah, who was 78 years when he was knocked down by a van at the basement carpark of an industrial building in Toh Guan Road East in June 2019, leaving him bedridden and mentally incapacitated.

  In 2021, Mr Ko’s son Jonathan, in his capacity as the administrator of his father’s estate, sued the driver of the van, construction worker Samikannu Manickavasakar, and building contractor SJ Universe.

  Mr Jonathan Ko, who was represented by Mr Tan Jee Ming, sought damages for his father’s pain and suffering and loss of amenities, loss of earnings, medical expenses, and other accident-related expenses. Read the full article by Selina Lum at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/court-awards-over-417k-in-accident-claim-lashes-ntuc-income-for-wholly-unreasonable-conduct

  
  

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