Commercial & Insurance Law

  • Kedah, the Pool Betting Licences, and the Constitutional Boundary It Could Not Cross
    Kedah’s decision to stop renewing premises licences for lottery and pool betting outlets triggered a constitutional contest over the limits of state power. The Federal Court’s refusal of leave leaves intact the Court of Appeal’s 2–1 ruling that a state cannot use local licensing authority to prohibit an activity Parliament has placed under federal control.
  • The Friendly Loan, the Litecoin, and the Debt the Law Would Not Let Him Collect Twice”
    Ong Seow Lee lent RM70,000 to a friend. The friend repaid him in Litecoin — 50 units, then worth about RM87,000. Ong accepted the crypto, then sued for cash. The Court of Appeal said a creditor who knowingly accepts cryptocurrency as repayment cannot later demand the same debt in cash.
  • The Auction Buyer, the Strata Arrears, and the Bridge the Law Would Not Cross
    Harjinder Singh bought a strata unit at a court auction, only to be handed a bill for nearly RM270,000 in arrears from a previous owner. The High Court ruled that auction buyers are not “successors-in-title” and cannot be forced to pay historical strata debts.
  • K Anuradha and the Sham Agreement
    When K Anuradha, a widow with two children, borrowed RM44,000, she was charged 7 percent monthly interest and made to sign a sale‑and‑purchase agreement for her house. The Court of Appeal has now affirmed that the agreement was a sham to mask an illegal moneylending transaction, and ordered the house returned.
  • Trinity Advance and the Recycled Evidence
    Trinity Advance Sdn Bhd sued Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd for RM9 million after its debt collection contract was terminated. The High Court found it had submitted recycled letters and photographs from previous years as proof of current work. The suit was dismissed. The court allowed Indah Water’s counterclaim, ordering Trinity Advance to pay RM806,925 instead.
  • TNB and the Meter‑Tampering Claim
    A wood‑based company was caught tampering with its electricity meter. The court ordered it to pay TNB RM476,000 for the unmetered consumption.
  • Lai Leong Peng and the Insurance Dispute
    A woman’s Porsche was declared a total loss, but her insurer refused to pay, citing unpaid customs duties. The High Court awarded RM1.245 million, finding the insurer’s demands were misguided and in bad faith.