‘Lover’s spat’: Woman who sued psychiatrist for prescribing Xanax pills loses suit

'Lover's spat': Woman who sued psychiatrist for prescribing Xanax pills loses suit
'Lover's spat': Woman who sued psychiatrist for prescribing Xanax pills loses suit

SINGAPORE: A woman who sued a psychiatrist pertaining to prescribing Xanax capsules in quantities that she claimed caused her to develop a good addiction has dropped her lawsuit, about what a High Court assess described as “at the core, a soulmate’s spat”.

Ms Serene Tiong accused her former lover, psychiatrist Doctor Chan Herng Nieng, of medical negligence by purportedly giving her up to 330 tablets from Might 2017 that triggered her to become hooked on Xanax.

The lady sought S$250, 1000 in damages, claiming that she suffered side effects and withdrawal symptoms from using high dosages of Xanax, and a long term dependency on the drug, which is used to treat anxiousness.

Justice Tan Siong Thye on Tuesday (Jul 19) ruled against Ms Tiong, finding that she failed to establish that there was medical negligence on a “balance associated with probabilities”, and did not show that the lady suffered harm due to Dr Chan’s activities.

Ms Tiong, a senior business development manager, fulfilled Dr Chan close to December 2016. They will started a partnership early the next 30 days, while she was married. She complete her divorce in November 2017.

Their relationship ended in May 2018, a month after Ms Tiong discovered WhatsApp exchanges between Dr Chan and another doctor, Dr Julian Ong, that revealed he had been unfaithful with her.

Dr Ong went on to sue Microsoft Tiong for defaming him by claiming that he and Dr Chan had colluded to take sexual advantage of their own patients. He gained the case on attractiveness.

On Wednesday, Justice Tan described the current lawsuit since “the latest event in Ms Tiong’s plot for vengeance against the one who spurned her”.

“Indeed, the adage that will hell hath no fury like a woman scorned best identifies the vitriolic activities of Ms Tiong, ” said the particular judge.

In his 104-page decision, Proper rights Tan detailed Microsoft Tiong’s “confusing, contradictory and highly unreliable” evidence at demo, particularly on the amount of Xanax tablets Doctor Chan purportedly recommended her.

He said that her conflicting evidence on this critical issue, which she appeared to change “on the fly”, was “fatal to her claim”.

Instead, the particular judge found how the version of activities given by Dr Chan, who runs his own practice at Funds Mindhealth Clinic, has been more consistent with the evidence.

Dr Chan said that he gave Ms Tiong fourteen Xanax tablets intended for short-term use in early May 2018 with her request, right after she told your pet she was suffering from bouts of nervousness.

Justice Tan also cited professional testimony that the risk of dependency connected with Dr Chan’s prescription of the Xanax tablets was “very low”. He ultimately discovered that Dr Chan did not breach their duty of treatment to Ms Tiong.

Ms Tiong also put forth an alternative claim that she experienced a mental plus emotional breakdown whenever she discovered that Doctor Chan was having sexual relations along with other married women throughout their relationship.

This particular claim involved a statement that Doctor Chan allegedly produced, informing Ms Tiong that “he had been committed to having an extensive and exclusive sexual relationship with her”, according to court documents.

Justice Tan said this claim raised “interesting questions”, namely: “Can one get one’s ex-lover to court for his broken promises throughout the relationship? ”

He again dominated against Ms Tiong, finding that she did not prove Dr Chan had made the particular alleged statement with her, and that even if this individual did so , there is no evidence this individual intended to harm the girl as they were within a relationship.

Ms Tiong also did not suffer physical harm or any recognised psychiatric illness as a result of Dr Chan’s infidelity, the judge said.

Justice Tan defined the entire suit as an “abuse of the court process” and rapped Ms Tiong just for pursuing an unmeritorious case “just in order to drag Dr Chan’s name through the mud”.

“In our view, Ms Tiong displayed a willing readiness to give up the court process for her own personal vendetta, ” he said.

“This became crystal clear when the lady took the stand, ” added the particular judge, noting that will Ms Tiong overstated her answers plus “appeared insouciant” whenever relaying basic information about the case.

This individual ordered her to pay for costs to Doctor Chan, with the total be determined by means of parties’ submissions.

He also echoed the Court associated with Appeal in admonishing Dr Chan plus Dr Ong for their conduct revealed within their WhatsApp exchanges about women.

“Doctors such as Dr Chan, who are entrusted with all the care of physically or even mentally vulnerable individuals, are subject to high levels of professional scrutiny in the discharge of their duties, ” said the judge.

“Dr Chan’s atrocious use of women which includes Ms Tiong as his sex objects and the disturbing satisfaction with which he gloated about his sex-related conquests in the WhatsApp exchanges with Doctor Ong suggest that he or she is a person with severe and grave personality defects.

“Dr Chan’s conduct in exploiting Ms Tiong and other women just for his own perverse desires is debauched, degenerate and highly worth censure. ”

Justice Tan added: “Ultimately, no genuine winner has surfaced from this entire ordeal. Although I have ruled against Ms Tiong, Dr Chan has borne, and will keep bear, the shame of having his wanton and depraved behaviour aired in public for all those to see. ”