TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Consumers Foundation on Wednesday filed a class-action lawsuit demanding NT$293.01 million (US$9 million) in compensation for 30 relatives of victims of bongkrek acid poisoning at a Taipei restaurant in March.
Six people died and 24 others were affected after meals at the vegetarian Polam Kopitiam Malaysian restaurant, inside a popular Xinyi District shopping mall. The three targets of the class-action suit were Polam Kopitiam, the food court manager Food Republic, and mall owner Far Eastern Department Store, the Liberty Times reported.
The Consumers’ Foundation is representing 30 people, including the relatives of five deceased victims and 16 who suffered health problems after eating at the restaurant. The parents of a fatality who resided in Malaysia had sought an agreement, possibly because they thought pursuing the legal case would be too much of a burden, the foundation said.
The compensation covers the cost of healthcare, meals, transportation, funeral expenses, work losses, punitive damages, and compensation for psychological damage. Foundation attorneys hoped the restaurant and food court and mall managers would not wait until there was a verdict before seeking an out-of-court settlement.