Singapore court rules 97-year-old businessman mentally fit to marry longtime partner despite son’s challenge

The ruling was issued in early Jan. 2026, ending a years-long legal dispute between the elderly man and his children over personal autonomy and a substantial estate, the South China Morning Post said.

The man, whose identity was withheld, owns a chemical company established in the 1960s. He married in 1950 and has three sons. Since 1971, he has been in a relationship with his personal secretary and has one child with her. His wife knew of the relationship and did not seek a divorce before her death in 2014.

In 2016, two years after his wife’s death, he began living with his partner, according to local news outlet Lianhe Zaobao.

The dispute escalated in mid-2021 when he, then 92, announced plans to legally marry her.

The State Courts in Singapore in 2021. Photo by Reuters

His second son filed a petition with the family court to block the marriage, seeking a ruling that his father lacked mental capacity and was unable to make independent decisions. He said that after a fall at home in 2017, his father experienced cognitive decline, was manipulated by his partner and could no longer make independent decisions.

The elderly man revised his will, removing the second son and a grandson from the list of heirs. He also countersued the son, demanding the return of 3.8 million SGD (US$3 million) in company assets, and filed a lawsuit requiring the grandson to vacate his home.

The court later dismissed all claims filed by the son. Judge Shobha Nair said that despite alleging his father had lacked legal capacity since 2017, he agreed to his father appointing him as company chief executive in 2019.

Medical evaluations found the man had mild age-related cognitive impairment and short-term memory loss but remained capable of making decisions on marriage and property. Audio recordings submitted to the court indicated he was alert and aware of his actions.

The judge said slowness or occasional confusion is common in old age and does not constitute a loss of legal capacity.

The court found the relationship between the man and his secretary had lasted more than 50 years and was stable. It said there was no evidence the woman deceived or exploited him for financial gain.

Judge Nair said the children’s objections may have been influenced by grief over their mother’s death and difficulty accepting another woman in her place. The court, however, based its decision solely on the man’s free will and legal capacity.

The second son has since appealed the ruling.