Singaporean man sues woman for $2.26m for ‘friendzoning’ him

A man from Singapore has sued a woman seeking 3 million Singaporean dollars (US $2.26m) in damages after she said that she saw him only as a friend.

The man, K Kawshigan, has claimed that Nora Tan’s actions caused him trauma and damaged his “stellar reputation”.

According to court documents, he has sought compensation to cover loss in earnings and investments, as well as “rehabilitation and therapy programmes to overcome the sustained trauma”.  Moreover, he has accused Tan of “allegedly defamatory remarks and negligent conduct”, the Metro newspaper reported.

The defamation case brought by Kawshigan, who is a director at a drone company, will be heard on February 9.

He first filed a case against Tan in January at a magistrates court for $16,624 after claiming that she did not sustain an agreement to improve their relationship, say reports.

The judgment found Kawshigan had an “ulterior motive of vexing or oppressing the defendant|, and the case was just a “calculated attempt to compel engagement” from Tan, according to the Guardian.

Tan met Kawshigan in 2016, and problems began to arise in 2020 when they became “misaligned” about how they saw their relationship.

“While the defendant only regarded the claimant as a ‘friend’, he considered her to be his ‘closest friend’,” the court papers said.

According to the judgement, the woman sought their interactions to be reduced, which caused displeasure to the claimant, who felt this would constitute “taking a step back in their relationship”.

The woman emphasised the need for boundaries and urged him to be “self-reliant”.

The latest lawsuit was initiated in July 2022, in which the man is claiming damages “for allegedly defamatory remarks and negligent conduct”.

(With inputs from agencies)