Shanmugam Kasiviswanathan v Bloomberg L.P. & Anor
Key facts
| Court | High Court (General Division) |
|---|---|
| Decided | |
| Judge | Audrey Lim |
| Charges / claim | Tort, Damages |
| Counsel | Davinder Singh Chambers LLC, RCLT Law Corporation, Sreenivasan Chambers LLC, Tan Rajah & Cheah, Wong Thai Yong LLC, Adam Lau Yip Wai, Chelva Retnam Rajah, Choo Zheng Xi, Chua Shi Jie, Davinder Singh s/o Amar Singh, Donaven Foo, Fong Cheng Yee David, Hanspreet Singh Sachdev, Jeanne Goh, Sambhavi Rajangam, Sreenivasan Narayanan, Wong Thai Yong |
Source: [2026] SGHC 147, High Court (General Division), decided — eLitigation. Updated .
Catchwords
Practice Areas
Judges (1)
Counsel (17)
Parties (4)
Case Significance
Shanmugam Kasiviswanathan v Bloomberg L.P. & Anor [2026] SGHC 147 was decided by Audrey Lim J in the General Division of the High Court on 14 July 2026 (Originating Claim Nos 11 and 12 of 2025, tried together). Mr Shanmugam and Mr Tan sued Bloomberg L.P. and its reporter Mr Low in defamation over an article published on 12 December 2024 about Good Class Bungalow transactions. The issues were whether the article referred to the claimants, whether it bore the pleaded defamatory meanings, whether the Reynolds privilege applied in Singapore, and the quantum of damages. The court found the article defamatory, rejected the Reynolds privilege defence, found malice, and awarded each claimant $230,000 ($170,000 general and $60,000 aggravated damages), with an injunction.
[2026] SGHC 147 explained
Shanmugam Kasiviswanathan v Bloomberg L.P. & Anor ([2026] SGHC 147) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 14 July 2026. It is categorised under Tort and Damages. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.
What is [2026] SGHC 147 about?
Shanmugam Kasiviswanathan v Bloomberg L.P. & Anor ([2026] SGHC 147) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2026. Its published catchwords are “Tort – Defamation – Reynolds privilege – Application in Singapore” and “Damages – Assessment – Defamation – Principles applicable to determination of appropriate quantum of damages”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.
What earlier Singapore cases does [2026] SGHC 147 cite?
Among the in-corpus authorities it refers to are [2026] SGHC 69. The complete list of cases cited, and of later cases that cite this decision, is shown on this page.
Summary
The General Division of the High Court heard two defamation claims by Mr Shanmugam and Mr Tan against Bloomberg L.P. and its reporter, Mr Low, over a Bloomberg article of 12 December 2024 titled "Singapore Mansion Deals Are Increasingly Shrouded in Secrecy". The court found that the article referred to the claimants and was defamatory, held that the defendants could not rely on the Reynolds privilege, and found malice. It awarded each claimant $230,000, comprising $170,000 in general damages and $60,000 in aggravated damages, and granted the injunction sought.
What damages were awarded in Shanmugam Kasiviswanathan v Bloomberg L.P. [2026] SGHC 147?
Audrey Lim J awarded Mr Shanmugam and Mr Tan $230,000 each, made up of $170,000 in general damages and $60,000 in aggravated damages. Bloomberg and Mr Low were held jointly and severally liable, and an injunction was granted.
Could Bloomberg rely on the Reynolds privilege in [2026] SGHC 147?
No. The court held that, in light of Review Publishing, Bloomberg's reliance on the Reynolds privilege was a non-starter, and found the defendants had not provided a sufficient basis for the court to adopt the privilege in Singapore as regards Mr Low.
Cases Cited (18)
Related cases
Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.
Judgment
Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.
Read on eLitigationSource: eLitigation ([2026] SGHC 147)