Consumers' Foundation Seeking NT$1.27Bln in TCM Suit 盛唐毒中藥鉛中毒案 消基會團訟求償12.7億
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In July and August 2020, Taichung-based traditional Chinese medicine clinics Sheng Tang and Jiu Fu were caught prescribing medications containing lead. This was discovered after a series of patients were diagnosed with lead poisoning. Now, the Consumers Foundation is overseeing a class action suit for the 30 victims and seeking NT$1.274 billion in compensation.
The Consumers' Foundation is seeking NT$1.274 billion in damages and compensation from two traditional Chinese medicine clinics that knowingly prescribed tainted medication to patients.
The Consumers' Foundation is seeking NT$1.274 billion in damages and compensation from two traditional Chinese medicine clinics that knowingly prescribed tainted medication to patients.
We are seeking NT$690 million from Jiu Fu and NT$570 million from Sheng Tang. Under the Consumer Protection Act, the Consumers' Foundation only has to pay a NT$6,600 (mediation fee) for the class action suit. It will be more beneficial for our suit if (the defendents') assets are seized.
There are 30 plaintiffs listed in the suit. According to the foundation's legal team, the chief practitioners of the two clinics, Lu Shih-ming and Hung Chang-hung, and herbal supplier Ou Kuo-liang knew the preparations were not fit for human consumption but made them available to patients anyway. The trio has also been indicted for falsifying evidence.
The damages include medical fees, loss of income, emotional distress compensation and punitive damages that are five times the compensatory damages.
The damages include medical fees, loss of income, emotional distress compensation and punitive damages that are five times the compensatory damages.
Former Taichung City Councilor Chen Ming-chen, whose wife is one of the victims, says the foundation got an early start on the class action suit and the criminal case is lagging behind.
Around 20 of the plaintiffs are suing for injury, up from the original eight. We didn't have the necessary legal knowledge to know what we were entitled to from the harm done to us at the time. Everything will be handled in accordance with the law.
This is the foundation's first-ever class action suit and it does not expect the fight to be an easy one. More plaintiffs may be added to the suit in the future.
消基會的律師團一字排開，這一次他們要為台中市盛唐中醫診所、九褔中醫診所，自費藥鉛中毒的受害者，進行團體訴訟，並依消保法，提出總金額高達12億7千4百多萬元的損害賠償。
消基會董事長 黃怡騰表示：「九褔部分，是六億九千多萬；那我們盛唐被告部分呢，他要求償，我們要求償的是五億七千萬。消費團體訴訟，我們只要依照消保法規定，只要繳6千6百塊的訴訟(裁判費)，假執行假扣押他們(被告)的財產，使得我們的訴訟，將來比較有求償的實益。」
目前委託消基會進行訴訟的受害者有三十位，透過團體訴訟，能減輕被害人負擔。訴訟案負責律師指出，兩位中醫師呂世民、洪彰宏，及中藥材商歐國樑，明知"硃砂"、"鉛丹"不得做為中藥口服藥劑，還是違法摻入，受害者鉛中毒，半生都須面臨身心折磨，違法事證明確，有信心為受害者爭取權益。
律師 李淑女表示：「損害賠償額的計算，那麼包含醫療費用、工作損失，還有精神上慰輔金，五倍的懲罰性賠償金。」
前台中市國民黨主委陳明振的妻子也是受害者之一，他表示，消基會的團體訴訟啟動較早，刑事的團體訴訟目前還在整合中。
前國民黨台中市黨部主委 陳明振表示：「提告傷害大概有二十幾位，本來只有八位，因為我們對都法律沒有常識，不曉得說，傷害是告訴乃論。我就告你傷害嘛，那就看一切就這樣，照法律程序來走。」
消基會律師向台中地院遞狀，提出團體訴訟，這也是消基會首宗，針對"中醫診所中藥損害賠償事件"進行的團體訴訟，消基會坦言有一定的難度。其他受害者若有具體事證，之後都還能加入。
