Man Who Sued PUB for $578K Suddenly Accepted PUB’s Prior Settlement Offer & Ended Hearing Before It Began

In recent Korean dramas like Law School, Juvenile Justice and Extraordinary Attorney Woo, we have seen how interesting lawsuits can be.

Imagine Singapore’s version of a Korean law drama. What cases could there possibly be?

Well, this one-day trial.

Man Who Sued PUB for $578K Suddenly Accepted PUB’s Prior Settlement Offer & Ended Trial Before It Began

Mr Maung Maung Aung Soe Thu, 42, sued PUB on 16 January 2022 after his bicycle got caught in a 3cm gap of a drain grating along Changi Point Coastal Walk.

Mr Maung Maung was with his friend that day and said that there were dried leaves obstructing his view of the gap.

He fell off his bike and suffered head and spine injuries, as well as facial fractures. He then sought damages of at least $578,000.

Mr Maung Maung claimed that PUB owed him the duty of care and breached it by not ensuring that the drain gratings were safe.

PUB then denied that they were negligent and argued that they did not owe him such a duty of care.

The trial was scheduled for three days from 7 September.

But it ended in half a day.

Here’s why.

How The Hearing Started…And Ended Before It Started

PUB’s witness, the chief engineer of drainage operations, was supposed to take the stand on 7 September to give evidence on the design and structure of drain gratings during the hearing.

However, on the morning, lawyers for both parties suddenly said that they have resolved the matter.

Apparently, Mr Maung Maung had accepted PUB’s settlement offer that was made before the trial.

PUB released a statement, saying that following “the commencement of the trial, and before PUB’s witness could give evidence, the plaintiff decided to accept an earlier offer from the defendant, the terms of which are confidential.”

This means the settlement amount was apparently the same one that PUB had previously offered, and for some reason, Mr Maung Maung only accepted before the trial.

Therefore, Mr Maung Maung had to file a notice of discontinuance within eight weeks to formally end the lawsuit.

However, the terms are confidential and PUB did not admit it was due to their negligence.

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