Jump to content

Vaune Phan awarded $60,000 in damages after winning defamation suit

StreetFight3r

By StreetFight3r,
in Lite & EZ

 Share

Recommended Posts

StreetFight3r

StreetFight3r

6th Gear

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/blogger-awarded-60000-in-damages-after-winning-defamation-suit

hzphan1215.jpg.803177dd773f320070b97e001544d8b7.jpg
 

A blogger, who has been featured riding her motorcycle overseas various times by the media, was awarded $60,000 in damages after winning a defamation suit in the State Courts on Tuesday (Dec 15).

After a three-day trial, the court found that social media personality Vaune Phan had been defamed by Mr Mark Yeow on four occasions last year.

He had posted three defamatory statements on Facebook and had sent a separate one to a WhatsApp chat group, according to court documents.

Ms Phan was represented by lawyers Suresh Divyanathan and Cherisse Foo from Oon & Bazul LLP.

Mr Yeow, the chief mechanic at a motorcycle workshop and the operations director at another, was represented by lawyers Luo Ling Ling and Sharifah Nabilah from Luo Ling Ling LLP.

Among other things, he had insinuated that Ms Phan had lied during proceedings in the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) over her dispute with another motorcycle workshop, Revology Bikes.

The blogger had claimed that Revology damaged her motorcycle when it reinstalled a camera that it had previously fixed on the vehicle.

In her SCT claim filed on Dec 21, 2018, she said there was a "sizeable gap" between the fairings and the body of the motorcycle after it was returned to her.

Ms Phan published a Facebook post on Dec 30 that year, with a link documenting the incident with Revology.

Court documents state that Mr Yeow published a series of comments on her post on Jan 5 last year. He called her a "cheapskate", "freeloader" and "poser", among other things, and also accused her of cyber bullying.

In a Facebook post the next month, he questioned her integrity and her claim that Rexology had caused the gap between the fairings and the body of her motorcycle.

He also tagged Ms Phan's past, present and potential sponsors, business partners and other motorcycle workshops in his post.

Mr Yeow subsequently included a link to the post in a message to a WhatsApp chat group, in which he also used the words "cheating" and "karma" in March that year.

In the same month, the SCT ordered Revology to pay the blogger $4,630 as compensation.

Mr Yeow later received a letter from Ms Phan's then lawyers, Parwani Law LLC, demanding that he remove his Facebook post and his Jan 5 comments.

But he commented about Ms Phan again in May last year, on a Facebook post by electronics company Samsung. The post was an advertisement for a new mobile phone and featured the blogger, who had been contracted to promote it.

Addressing Samsung with another Facebook account, he said the company "should do some homework and fact finding before hiring an influencer" and that there were plenty of capable individuals "who can show you what dirt biking means".

The advertisement was later removed, and Ms Phan's contract to promote the mobile phone was terminated.

On Tuesday, District Judge Wong Peck rejected Mr Yeow's claim that the blogger's popularity was already waning prior to the remarks being made, finding that she had an extensive online social media presence and that her reputation had been lowered by the statements.

The judge also said in her judgment that his remarks were not justified.

Among other things, she disagreed with his explanation that Ms Phan's behaviour had caused loss to Revology's business and was therefore "cyber bullying".

"As the SCT ruling stands and Revology has paid compensation to the plaintiff pursuant to such ruling, I disagree how such facts when made public can constitute cyber bullying," the judge added.

Noting Mr Yeow's attempts to prove that the blogger had lied during the SCT proceedings, she said: "My view is that it is not open to this court to examine the SCT decision and findings of fact."

The district judge also ordered Mr Yeow to pay legal costs to Ms Phan, as well as to take down his Facebook statements and refrain from making similar defamatory remarks against her again.

But the judge did not allow Ms Phan's claim for damages of $6,404 for the termination of her contract with Samsung, ruling that the blogger had not proven the termination was due to Mr Yeow's statements.

Thanking her lawyers in a statement to The Straits Times, Ms Phan said she was not suing for personal gain but to protect her reputation and the clients she works with.

"After recovery of my full legal costs, I will donate the remainder of the damages... to charity," she said.

Mr Yeow told ST that he intends to appeal against the decision.

Screenshot 2019-04-11 at 9.45.26 PM.png

download (1).jpg

Vaune_Profile2.png

20170127_130104b1.jpg

↡ Advertisement
  • Praise 2
  • Sad 1
  • Haha! 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
Throttle2

Throttle2

Supersonic
(edited)
  On 12/16/2020 at 4:47 AM, Turboflat4 said:

Er... not our Baby right? 😂

Expand  

BabyBlade and VPhan buay gum one.  You better dont campur them.

one is more goody two shoes, down to earth, girl next door biker with Honda, the other is wanna be hot blogger, rides Ducatis and hangs around with Supercar (specifically Lambo) owners.....very different leh....

 

And dont ask me why Lambo owners, you know that better than me.  Muayhahahahahahaha

Edited by Throttle2
  • Shocked 1
  • Haha! 3
Link to post
Share on other sites
1fast1

1fast1

Supersonic
  On 12/16/2020 at 5:13 AM, Throttle2 said:

BabyBlade and VPhan buay gum one.  You better dont campur them.

one is more goody two shoes, down to earth, girl next door biker with Honda, the other is wanna be hot blogger, rides Ducatis and hangs around with Supercar (specifically Lambo) owners.....very different leh....

 

And dont ask me why Lambo owners, you know that better than me.  Muayhahahahahahaha

Expand  

Also, I'm sure our BB is much prettier than this one lol. 😂

  • Praise 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
Yeshe

Yeshe

Turbocharged
  On 12/16/2020 at 3:55 AM, StreetFight3r said:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/blogger-awarded-60000-in-damages-after-winning-defamation-suit

hzphan1215.jpg.803177dd773f320070b97e001544d8b7.jpg
 

A blogger, who has been featured riding her motorcycle overseas various times by the media, was awarded $60,000 in damages after winning a defamation suit in the State Courts on Tuesday (Dec 15).

After a three-day trial, the court found that social media personality Vaune Phan had been defamed by Mr Mark Yeow on four occasions last year.

He had posted three defamatory statements on Facebook and had sent a separate one to a WhatsApp chat group, according to court documents.

Ms Phan was represented by lawyers Suresh Divyanathan and Cherisse Foo from Oon & Bazul LLP.

Mr Yeow, the chief mechanic at a motorcycle workshop and the operations director at another, was represented by lawyers Luo Ling Ling and Sharifah Nabilah from Luo Ling Ling LLP.

Among other things, he had insinuated that Ms Phan had lied during proceedings in the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) over her dispute with another motorcycle workshop, Revology Bikes.

The blogger had claimed that Revology damaged her motorcycle when it reinstalled a camera that it had previously fixed on the vehicle.

In her SCT claim filed on Dec 21, 2018, she said there was a "sizeable gap" between the fairings and the body of the motorcycle after it was returned to her.

Ms Phan published a Facebook post on Dec 30 that year, with a link documenting the incident with Revology.

Court documents state that Mr Yeow published a series of comments on her post on Jan 5 last year. He called her a "cheapskate", "freeloader" and "poser", among other things, and also accused her of cyber bullying.

In a Facebook post the next month, he questioned her integrity and her claim that Rexology had caused the gap between the fairings and the body of her motorcycle.

He also tagged Ms Phan's past, present and potential sponsors, business partners and other motorcycle workshops in his post.

Mr Yeow subsequently included a link to the post in a message to a WhatsApp chat group, in which he also used the words "cheating" and "karma" in March that year.

In the same month, the SCT ordered Revology to pay the blogger $4,630 as compensation.

Mr Yeow later received a letter from Ms Phan's then lawyers, Parwani Law LLC, demanding that he remove his Facebook post and his Jan 5 comments.

But he commented about Ms Phan again in May last year, on a Facebook post by electronics company Samsung. The post was an advertisement for a new mobile phone and featured the blogger, who had been contracted to promote it.

Addressing Samsung with another Facebook account, he said the company "should do some homework and fact finding before hiring an influencer" and that there were plenty of capable individuals "who can show you what dirt biking means".

The advertisement was later removed, and Ms Phan's contract to promote the mobile phone was terminated.

On Tuesday, District Judge Wong Peck rejected Mr Yeow's claim that the blogger's popularity was already waning prior to the remarks being made, finding that she had an extensive online social media presence and that her reputation had been lowered by the statements.

The judge also said in her judgment that his remarks were not justified.

Among other things, she disagreed with his explanation that Ms Phan's behaviour had caused loss to Revology's business and was therefore "cyber bullying".

"As the SCT ruling stands and Revology has paid compensation to the plaintiff pursuant to such ruling, I disagree how such facts when made public can constitute cyber bullying," the judge added.

Noting Mr Yeow's attempts to prove that the blogger had lied during the SCT proceedings, she said: "My view is that it is not open to this court to examine the SCT decision and findings of fact."

The district judge also ordered Mr Yeow to pay legal costs to Ms Phan, as well as to take down his Facebook statements and refrain from making similar defamatory remarks against her again.

But the judge did not allow Ms Phan's claim for damages of $6,404 for the termination of her contract with Samsung, ruling that the blogger had not proven the termination was due to Mr Yeow's statements.

Thanking her lawyers in a statement to The Straits Times, Ms Phan said she was not suing for personal gain but to protect her reputation and the clients she works with.

"After recovery of my full legal costs, I will donate the remainder of the damages... to charity," she said.

Mr Yeow told ST that he intends to appeal against the decision.

Screenshot 2019-04-11 at 9.45.26 PM.png

download (1).jpg

Vaune_Profile2.png

20170127_130104b1.jpg

Expand  

@BabyBlade $60k richer? :D

  • Praise 1
  • Haha! 3
Link to post
Share on other sites
Tohto

Tohto

Hypersonic
  On 12/16/2020 at 5:33 AM, Lethalstrike said:

Who the hell paints their name on the sidewalls of their tires? 

I don't see ah bengs spraying "Tan Ah Beng" or "Lim Ah Kow" on the sidewalls of their tires. 

Expand  

She is ah Lian, not Ah Beng..😁

  • Haha! 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
1fast1

1fast1

Supersonic
  On 12/16/2020 at 5:56 AM, mersaylee said:

May I remind you of MCF unwritten rule...npnt 

Go TF4! Go TF4!! 😁

Expand  

Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure or the privilege of making the lady's acquaintance. But I remain hopeful! ☺️

  • Haha! 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...