TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Supreme Court ruled on Monday (Oct. 21) that Want Weekly (周刊王) and Chinese Television System (CTS) must pay, respectively, NT$300,000 (US$9,700) and NT$200,000, in damages to Amanda Lee (李晶玉), a former TV talk show hostess, for falsely claiming she was a suspect in a national health insurance fraud case, Liberty Times reported.
The magazine reported in its March 30, 2016, issue that Lee was among the female socialites suspected of involvement in defrauding the government of National Health Insurance (NHI) fees by going to the U.S. to give birth, adding that Lee was among those who were waiting to be questioned by police, according to the Liberty Times report. The magazine included photos of Lee and her son in its report.
Based on the magazine report, CTS repeated the slander. Lee accused the magazine and the TV station of not fact-checking and damaging her reputation by making readers and viewers believe she was a criminal suspect.
Lee filed a lawsuit against the two media outlets, seeking damages for emotional distress and asked for a printed public apology.
The court held that neither the magazine nor the TV station fulfilled their obligation to fact-properly investigate and libeled her. The court ruled the magazine and the TV station must pay damages of, respectively, NT$300,000 and NT$200,000, to the plaintiff.




