{
  "id": 5060692,
  "title": "Judgment reserved for lawyer Clarence Lun’s defamation suit against marathoner Soh Rui Yong",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/judgment-reserved-for-lawyer-clarence-luns-defamation-suit-against",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/judgement-reserved-for-lawyer-clarence-luns-defamation-suit-against-marathoner-soh-rui-yong"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A defamation lawsuit between lawyer Clarence Lun and marathoner Soh Rui Yong concluded after 5½ days, with District Judge Sia Aik Kor reserving a judgment for Nov 26. The hearing, which took place on Aug 27, saw Lun closely cross-examine Soh over a Facebook post that the two-time SEA Games marathon champion had shared on his fan page in August 2024. The incident centers on a statement Soh made in the post, claiming Singapore has \"no shortage of dishonest, incompetent lawyers\" and that he had dealt with three such lawyers. Lun, who has a history of representing athletes in defamation cases, argued that Soh's post was an attempt to threaten his livelihood, as the suspension from practice he received in Oct 2022 was lifted around the same time. Lun also disputed the allegations of incompetence, pointing out that Soh had signed off on the line of questioning during their previous cases together. Soh, who is a lawyer by training, maintained that he trusted Lun to represent his interests in the defamation suit against another marathoner, Ashley Liew. The dispute over Lun's representation strategy in the Liew case, where he advised Soh to apply for the recusal of the district judge, further fueled the legal battle. Soh later switched to different lawyers, ultimately losing both the Liew and Malik cases, for which he was ordered to pay $180,000 in damages. Lun is now seeking $180,000 in damages from Soh, as well as a public apology and an injunction to prevent Soh from making similar future statements.",
  "summary": "Both sides are slated to make written and reply submissions to the court by November this year.",
  "key_points": [
    "District Judge Sia reserved judgment for Nov 26 after 5½ days of trial",
    "Soh Rui Yong claimed Singapore has no shortage of dishonest, incompetent lawyers",
    "Clarence Lun seeks $180,000 in damages and an injunction against Soh"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}