Unlike when having a drink with a friend at the coffee shop, you can’t say anything you want online.
If someone deems it to be defamatory and is able to prove so in a court of law, you could end up paying a huge price for it, literally.
Terry Xu Ordered to Pay PM Lee About $88k in Costs & Disbursements
Reader: Wait, wasn’t Terry Xu ordered to pay PM Lee damages last month?
You’re right, dear reader. On 1 Sep, the High Court awarded the Prime Minister S$210,000 in total damages after he sued Mr Xu, editor of the now-defunct website The Online Citizen (TOC).
$160,000 was awarded in general damages, and $50,000 in aggravated damages.
This morning (13 Oct), however, the High Court ordered Mr Xu to pay PM Lee S$87,832.93 in costs and disbursements, as revealed by Mr Xu’s lawyer Lim Tean in a Facebook post.
PM Lee’s press secretary said the damages awarded will be donated to charity.
To put it simply, damages are the amount that resulted from the defamation while cost and disbursements are the cost of the legal proceedings.
Yes, it cost a lot to sue someone.
Sued Over Article on Oxley Road Dispute
Two years ago, on 1 Sep, PM Lee sent a letter to Mr Xu about a certain article published on TOC a month before.
Titled: “PM Lee’s wife Ho Ching weirdly shares article on cutting ties with family members”, it detailed the dispute that PM Lee and his siblings have been embroiled in over their family home at 38 Oxley Road since 2017.
PM Lee’s lawyers claimed the article contained false allegations repeated from his siblings that gravely injured his character and reputation.
In his 1 Sep letter to Mr Xu, PM Lee instructed the chief editor to do four things by 4 Sep:
- Remove the article from his website
- Remove the Facebook post
- Publish an apology
- Never publish the same allegations
Mr Xu, however, didn’t comply with these requests, compelling PM Lee to initiate legal proceedings.
PM Lee initiated lawsuits against both Mr Xu and the writer of the article, Rubaashini Shunmuganathan, who is based in Malaysia.
Rubashani did not turn up for her trial, though. In the end, PM Lee was awarded $210,000 in damages in the suit against her as well.
However, both Rubashani and Mr Xu were jointly liable for most of the damages awarded – $160,000 to be exact – and the court noted that PM Lee should not be doubly compensated.
Damages of $210K Have Been Crowdfunded
After the judgment was handed down on 1 Sep this year, Mr Xu set up a crowdfunding campaign to secure the funds to pay the amount owed to PM Lee.
And in just 19 days, he received over $210,000 – enough to pay the amount owed.
“As of 11.59pm today (20 Sep), you have helped to raise S$210,230.90 which is 100.11% of the S$210,000 that the Prime Minister had been awarded for the libel suit he brought against me,” Mr Xu said.
“In total, 2055 individuals have come together to raise this amount. The donation amounts range from S$0.01 to S$5,000.”
Mr Xu expressed his appreciation to all those who had donated money to him in his time of need.
Now, with over $87,000 more to pay, his lawyer Lim Tean is once again appealing to the public for funds.
“Going by past precedence, his (PM Lee’s) Lawyers will be making a demand for payment shortly,” Lim Tean said.
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Featured Image: zmpixes / Shutterstock.com & Facebook (Terry Xu)
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