Questionable job, embellished illnesses? Woman suing PUB for $5m gives up after lawyers accuse her of numerous lies

She had asked for $20 million in damages before adjusting her claim to $5 million. Now, there's a possibility that the costs of her lawsuit against the Public Utilities Board (PUB) could eat into her damages.

Chan Hui Peng, 47, who took PUB to court after falling into a manhole in 2015, accepted a confidential settlement offer from the statutory board's lawyers on Thursday evening (Nov 26), lawyers from both sides told reporters.

Just that morning, she had told the High Court that her claim was "honest and legitimate" and confirmed that she would be pursuing it.

Following both parties' appearance before Judicial Commissioner Andre Maniam this morning to address the issue of costs, Chan is expected to file a notice of discontinuance against PUB, officially withdrawing her claim.

Chan chose to accept the offer as the trial, which commenced on Monday, has "taken a toll on her mental health and emotional well-being", her lawyer Ivan Lee told The Straits Times.

PUB will be seeking costs against Chan for the legal proceedings due to her conduct and delayed acceptance of the offer, which had been made on Nov 10, their lawyers confirmed to Today in an email.

"It's to send a strong signal out there for deterrence, having spent four days in court, what transpired," Anparasan Kamachi, one of PUB's lawyers, told CNA.

The costs could "eat into the damages", he added.

Fall resulted in fracture, bruises and psychiatric illnesses: Chan

On Dec 1, 2015, Chan fell into a 1.8m-deep manhole near the intersection of Simon Road and Upper Serangoon Road.

According to her lawyer L. Devadason, the manhole was open and there was no cordon or signage around it.

She suffered an ankle fracture and bruises on her hip and was warded in hospital for five days.

According to Chan, the accident also caused her to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia.

Chan "putting on a farce": PUB's lawyers

However, over the four days in court, PUB's lawyers called Chan's various claims into question.

On Wednesday, they pointed out that she had a highly-rated Carousell account which was active over the past three years and seven months despite her assertion that she had a fear of meeting strangers.

In response, Chan said it was "not always" herself running the account and added that her psychiatrists and psychologists had encouraged her to have a "normal life".

They also alleged that she had lied about her employment.

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Chan, who said she had started a business development job a month before the accident, claimed a loss of earnings of over $1 million, basing the amount on her monthly salary of $11,500.

However, the company she was working at was actually controlled by Chan, Anparasan told the court.

Her mother-in-law is reportedly a former director of the company, while her husband is a proxy for the shareholder.

Chan also admitted in court on Wednesday that the current shareholder, Tan Yew Tiak, is her maternal uncle.

The day before, she had denied knowing him.

Asking her to stop her "lies", Anparasan told Chan, "We have gone through three days of cross-examination. You have shown so many things for us to show that you are putting on a farce."

On Thursday, Grace Tan, another of PUB's lawyers, told the court that Chan had attempted to get a psychologist to amend her reports in 2016, citing notes from Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

However, the psychologist had refused Chan's request, maintaining that the latter showed PTSD symptoms, but the symptoms did not constitute a disorder.

During Monday’s hearing, Anparasan posited that Chan "has a proclivity to obtain and amend medical evidence to her satisfaction".

He also alleged that she did not suffer from PTSD and there “might have been a degree of embellishment", according to the defendant’s psychiatric and psychology experts who had been set to take the stand.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com