A CEO in Singapore filed two lawsuits against a woman he pursued romantically after learning she only wanted to be friends – and is now reportedly seeking around $2.3 million for the heartbreak.
K. Kawshigan claims Nora Tan damaged his "stellar reputation" and said she brought "trauma, depression and impacts" to his life. He also sought $22,000, or roughly $16,800 in U.S. dollars, in a since-dismissed suit claiming she "breached an agreement" to improve their relationship.
A state court struck down the smaller lawsuit on Jan. 28, alleging that Kawshigan made "manifestly groundless" claims that were "without foundation" and took advantage of the court process in an effort to "intentionally… vexing or oppressing the defendant," The Strait Times reported.
"This court will not be an accessory to [Kawshigan’s] calculated attempt to compel engagement from the defendant who, after years of massaging the claimant’s unhappiness, has finally decided to stand up to his threats rather than cower and give in to his demands," State Courts Deputy Registrar Lewis Tan wrote of the cases.
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But a pre-trial hearing for the other lawsuit, where he's asking for $3 million in Singapore currency, remains set for Feb. 9.
The Online Citizen identified Kawshigan as the CEO of D1 Racing – a drone racing competition – and the business development manager of AeroLion Technologies, a drone production company.
Kawshigan and Tan allegedly met in 2016 and became friends over time, but things hit a snag in 2020 when Tan found that they didn’t see eye-to-eye on the possibility of taking things further.
Tan saw Kawshigan as no more than a friend, but he viewed her as his closest friend, according to the allegations. The discussion prompted Tan to try and thereafter limit their interactions, which upset Kawshigan.
Tan tried to convey to Kawshigan that he was causing her "genuine" discomfort and that she needed greater boundaries and restrictions on their interactions, according to Channel News Asia.
Tired of his advances over the next year and a half, Tan initiated harassment proceedings against Kawshigan, but he indicated that he was willing to take legal action against her – threatening to "make your liability worse" with a case he viewed as having "strong legal basis."
Tan made an effort to improve their relationship per an agreement with Kawshigan, even attending counseling sessions for a year as a measure of good faith, but in the summer of 2022, she again tried to limit interactions.
She sent Kawshigan a list of "improvements" she expected from him, which he used as the basis to claim they had an agreement, which she breached.
Kawshigan sued Tan on July 7, claiming he also lost earning capacity and business partnerships as an "active high-capital trader by night and a busy CEO by day," in addition to costs for therapy to overcome his "trauma."
Tan responded with an expedited protection order against Kawshigan.
"The body of evidence collectively reveals his tendency to resort to legalese and raise threats of litigation to compel compliance from the defendant," the registrar wrote in judgment.
"While he had been successful before, it appears that the defendant is now resolved to stand up against his threats," the registrar continued. "Faced with the mounting evidence against him, the claimant has not provided any evidence in his bare affidavit to shine a different light on the picture painted."
The court instead ordered Kawshigan to pay Tan $14,000 (around $10,700) while the larger lawsuit remains set for its pre-trial date.
