The Court held that parents lacked standing to claim damages due to failure to prove their relationship with the deceased under Section 7 of the Civil Law Act 1956.

JUDGMENT

Amarjeet Singh Serjit Singh J:

Introduction

[1] This is an appeal against the decision of the learned Sessions Court Judge at Kuala Lumpur who dismissed the appellants' claim for loss of support under s 7 of the Civil Law Act 1956 after a full trial. The appellants claim to be the parents of one Qi XiangQing ("the deceased") who had tragically drowned in the swimming pool of the respondent's hotel. The deceased was a guest at the hotel and hailed from China.

[2] For convenience the parties in this judgment will be referred to as they were in the Court below and all sections hereinafter mentioned refer to the Civil Law Act 1956 while where rules are referred to they refer to the Rules of 2012.

[3] On 14 June 2022, I dismissed the appeal. This judgment contains the reasons for my decision.

Background

[4] The following evidence is not in dispute. On 7 February 2017, the deceased came to Malaysia. On 14 February 2017 he checked into the defendant's hotel as a paying guest. He was 22 years old and a good swimmer. After checking in, he proceeded to use the swimming pool facility at the hotel and was subsequently found drowned in the said pool. Thirty minutes had lapsed when the deceased was having difficulties to the time he was discovered. A fact determined from the close-circuit television. The swimming pool at its deepest part had a depth of 3 meters. The post-mortem report revealed that the cause of death was due to drowning.

The Statement Of Claim

[5] The plaintiffs in para 8 of the statement of claim expressly pleaded as follows:

Kemalangan tersebut diakibatkan keseluruhannya dan/atau sebahagian besarnya oleh kecuaian Defendan yang merupakan pemilik hotel tersebut.

[6] The particulars that were pleaded in the statement of claim were clearly stated as "Butir-Butir Kecuaian Defendan" which are particulars of negligence and which particulars were worded as follows:

(a) Gagal untuk memberi sebarang amaran dan/atau meletakkan papan tanda amaran/peringatan dan papan tanda aras kedalaman yang sesuai di lokasi yang mudah dilihat (failed to put up any warning and/or signs as to the depth of the swimming pool at vantage locations which can easily be seen);

(b) Gagal untuk menyediakan dan/atau meletakkan papan tanda bantuan pernafasan (CPR) di lokasi yang strategic dan jelas di kawasan kolam renang (failed to provide and/or put up cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) signs at a strategic location of the swimming pool);

(c) Gagal untuk menyediakan penyelamat bertauliah untuk mengawal dan menjaga keselamatan di koiam renang tersebut pada waktu operasi kolam renang (failed to provide an accredited life-guard for the safety of the persons using the swimming pool during operating hours);

(d) Gagal untuk menempatkan penyelamat bertauliah di iokasi strategic (failed to provide an accredited life-guard at a strategic location of the swimming pool);

(e) Gagal untuk memastikan, mengawal, dan menjaga keselamatan pengguna kolam renang tersebut terutama kepada simati (failed to ensure the safety of the persons using the swimming pool facility, especially, the safety of the deceased);

(f) Gagal untuk mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga atau tindakan dalam apa acara sekalipun untuk mengelakkan kemalangan tersebut walaupun mengetahui bahawa kedalaman kolam renang tersebut iaitu sedalam tiga meter semasa kejadian adalah bukan kedalaman kolam renang biasa untuk hotel (failed to take precautionary measurers to avoid persons drowning knowing that the depth of 3 meters is not the normal depth of a swimming pool for a hotel);

(g) Gagal memberi pertolongan cemas dan/atau bantuan tindak balas kepada peristiwa dan/atau kejadian yang meragut nyawa simati (failed to render first aid and/or assistance in respect of the incident and/or event that took the life of the deceased);

(h) Gagal menyediakan peralatan bantuan kecemasan dan menyelamat yang lengkap di lokasi yang mudah dillhat di sekeliling kolam (failed to provide first aid complete rescue and emergency equipment at vantage