Raymond Ng declared vexatious litigant, court imposes litigation restraints on Iris Koh

The High Court in Singapore has declared businessman Raymond Ng a vexatious litigant and imposed litigation restraints on his wife, Iris Koh. The Attorney-General's Chambers sought this ruling, alleging that the couple were waging "lawfare" and monetizing litigation. For Ng, the order means he cannot initiate any civil court proceedings without the High Court's permission, and existing proceedings cannot continue without court approval.

His wife, founder of the anti-vaccine group Healing the Divide, received a lower-severity general civil restraint order. The order lasts for two years and prohibits Koh from beginning any civil action or application without court permission. Justice Hoo Sheau Peng found that Ng had instituted four main actions and seven applications without reasonable grounds, often describing potential litigation as a source of income and seeking publicity.

He also made calls for public donations and publicized his sponsorship scheme on social media. Justice Hoo concluded that Ng's conduct demonstrated a pattern of habitually filing vexatious legal proceedings, even when met with unsuccessful actions or dismissals. Consequently, the court imposed the order on him to prevent abuse of court processes and avoid further vexatious litigation.

For Koh, while the judge agreed with her argument that Ng's conduct should not be attributed to her, she found that the proceedings she was involved in reflected her own pattern of behavior. Despite this, Justice Hoo did not declare Koh a vexatious litigant but granted her the general civil restraint order. The judge emphasized that both Ng and Koh would still be able to vindicate their legitimate rights under the law and seek legal redress for genuine grievances, but would need court permission to do so.