The Taipei District Court on Friday threw out a woman’s lawsuit against the now-closed Sherwood Taipei hotel, where she claimed she was injured three years ago after slipping on a wet floor.
The court ruling said that the plaintiff, surnamed Chung (鐘), did not seek medical treatment immediately after falling at the hotel on March 7, 2019, and waited more than a month before visiting a hospital.
Chung, who worked for a technology company, was on her way to a dinner appointment at the hotel when she fell in the lobby, allegedly damaging the cartilage in her left knee, court documents said.
Photo: CNA
She later sued the hotel for NT$5 million (US$168,040 at the current exchange rate) in compensation, claiming that it was liable for her injuries because staff failed to mop up rainwater that had collected in the lobby and did not put up warning signs, it said.
In her filing, Chung said that the NT$5 million figure was calculated based on her medical expenses, the cost of paying for a caretaker during her recovery and her loss of salary over that time.
Sherwood Taipei management testified that Chung was wearing high heels when she slipped, but she got up and did not request medical treatment.
She then stayed for two hours in the restaurant, during which time she did not complain to staff about an injury or of feeling unwell, they said.
When staff called Chung the next day, she said that she had no problem walking, adding that there was no need for concern, they said.
However, on May 8, she contacted the hotel demanding that they pay her NT$5 million for the knee injury, but hotel executives said they believed she might have sustained the injury under other circumstances and declined to pay, court documents said.
In addition to waiting a month before seeking medical treatment, Chung reportedly did not inform a doctor of her fall until two months after the incident, the ruling said.
“The case lacked objective evidence to prove her slipping had a direct relationship in causing her knee injury, therefore there is no reason to hold Sherwood Taipei liable for the injury,” the court filing said.
The verdict can be appealed.
In February, the Sherwood Taipei hotel closed after 32 years, citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel and hospitality sectors.
Since opening in 1990, the hotel had received renowned international guests such as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, former US president George H.W. Bush, film director Ang Lee (李安) and Hong Kong movie stars Chow Yun-fat (周潤發) and Andy Lau (劉德華).
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS