SINGAPORE, Dec 12 — A Singapore District Court has dismissed a suit filed after a man fell and suffered a traumatic brain injury after he was startled by a neighbour’s corgi, ruling there was no negligence or breach of condo rules.
The man, Tan Kut Fai, who has since died, and his daughter, Tan Shuh Lin, had sued neighbour Loong Kai Jun Matthew over how he handled the dog and for allegedly violating condo regulations.
Judge Samuel Wee said in his ruling yesterday that there is no universal guideline or classification in Singapore for “small dogs”, news outlet CNA reported today.
“I therefore have difficulty seeing how the defendant could have breached his duty to Mr Tan merely because the corgi barked (without lunging towards Mr Tan),” the judge was quoted as saying.
Kut Fai had been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and was dependent on assistance for mobility and self-care before the lawsuit began.
According to the report, the corgi was secured on a shortened leash measuring three feet; and Loong testified it simply veered to the side when exiting the lift, while Kut Fai’s estate claimed it lunged and barked at him.
Video footage and testimony from a vet supported Loong’s account, showing the dog was calm and well-behaved, and there was no clear evidence of lunging or barking.
The estate’s claim that Loong breached a condo by-law restricting small-breed dogs was also rejected, as there is no universal legal definition of “small breed” applicable to the condo.
The court asked both parties to submit costs within 14 days, while extending sympathy to Kut Fai’s family for the “daily consequences of the unfortunate incident and the anguish of witnessing his declining health and faculties”.
