Bentley owner wins RM900,000 payout after Kelana Jaya crash, Appeals Court rejects staged-accident claim

The Court of Appeal in Kuala Lumpur has upheld a High Court ruling that an insurance company must pay RM900,000 in damages to a Bentley Continental owner for accident-related damages in 2020. The decision was made unanimously by Justices Datuk Dr Choo Kah Sing, Datuk Ismail Brahim, and Datuk Leonard David Shim, rejecting both the insurance company's appeal and the owner's appeal.

The Bentley owner, Inderpal Singh, had been awarded RM50,000 in costs for each appeal. MSIG Insurance had appealed the High Court's decision to grant Inderpal indemnification under the insurance policy, while Inderpal had appealed the court's dismissal of his negligence claims and consequential claims for loss of use and enjoyment of the luxury car.

The court found that the High Court judge had evaluated the evidence and made appropriate findings of fact, with no errors warranting interference. The court also concluded that there was no convincing evidence to suggest that Inderpal had staged the accident, only the defendant's suspicion that it could not have happened as described by Inderpal.

Inderpal was the registered owner of the insured vehicle, which was valued at RM900,000 under a comprehensive private car insurance policy. On January 22, 2020, Inderpal's car collided with a guardrail after he attempted to avoid hitting a dog that had crossed the road. The car was taken to a workshop, where repairs were estimated at RM1,053,491.07.

On June 4, 2021, MSIG Insurance rejected the claim, alleging fraud and inconsistency with the accident's circumstances. Inderpal sued for indemnification, breach of contract, and negligence by the insurance company in handling the claim.