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).
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