‘Sustained trauma’? Man sues woman for R40 million after he was friend-zoned

The dating scene can get you into trouble nowadays.

• A man from Singapore is suing a woman after being friend-zoned.
• He is seeking $2.3 million (R40 519 330) in damages and claims the rejection caused him “sustained trauma” and depression.
• The woman being sued argues that she has been harassed. 

The dating world keeps getting more unpredictable and scary. 

You might even end up in trouble like Nora Tan Shu Mei in Singapore, who is currently facing a defamation lawsuit against her. 

Vice World News reported that a man called K Kawshigan is suing her for $2.3 million (R40 519 330) after being friend-zoned. The two have known each other since 2016. Evidently, he thought their connection would become more serious, but it never did.

READ MORE | You need to know these 6 new dating terms and the manipulative tactics they expose

The CEO of a drone racing company is seeking a hefty amount in damages and claims the rejection caused him “sustained trauma” and depression, for which he needed therapy and rehabilitation sessions, allegedly impacting his “stellar reputation” at work. 

However, Nora, in turn, has hit back, calling his conduct “harassment”.

According to Singapore’s The Straits Times, in September 2020, problems began to arise when they became misaligned in how they saw their relationship. While Ms Tan regarded Mr Kawshigan only as a friend, he considered her his “closest friend”.

They also reported that legal action was initially kept at bay after she agreed to take part in his counselling, but over a year later, he still could not accept that Nora did not want to be in a relationship. She stopped going to the therapy sessions because they were “futile” to her.

READ MORE | Pocketing: The toxic dating trend to watch out for

Grant H. Brenner, on Psychology Today, writes that romantic and sexual feelings are a real threat to friendship, with the exception of relatively rare times when people can either maintain or deepen friendships after failed attempts at romance or successfully transition.

He goes on to explain that study authors argue that the friend zone is a kind of platonic relationship. The subtle and often tumultuous situations arise when one person has romantic feelings and the other does not, which often renders the friend zone a temporary, transitional, and unstable state. Relationships are only romantic if all partners consent.

Sources: Vice World News, The Strait Times