Lee De-wei Ordered to Pay NT$600,000 Each to Hsueh Jui-yuan and Chou Jhih-haw for Defamation Over Medigen Allegations
Former KMT legislator Lee De-wei was sued for defamation after accusing former health officials Hsueh Jui-yuan and Chou Jhih-haw of favoring Medigen vaccines. The High Court upheld the ruling ordering Lee to pay them NT$600,000 each.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 13:52
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(CNA Reporter Liu Shih-yi, Taipei, 22nd) Former KMT legislator Lee De-wei filed a complaint accusing then-Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan and CDC Director-General Chou Jhih-haw of illicitly favoring Medigen. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office closed the case due to insufficient evidence. Consequently, Hsueh and Chou filed a civil lawsuit for damages. The first-instance court ordered Lee to pay NT$600,000 to each of the two officials. The Taiwan High Court dismissed appeals from both sides today.
The second-instance Taiwan High Court stated that Lee De-wei's false statements, which accused and verbally abused Hsueh and Chou of illicitly covering for the Medigen company, were widely broadcast through electronic media. This severely diminished the public's evaluation of Hsueh and Chou, intentionally infringing on their right to reputation. The court found no error in the original judgment ordering Lee to compensate Hsueh and Chou NT$600,000 each. Therefore, it dismissed the appeals from both parties. Lee De-wei cannot appeal further, while Hsueh and Chou are permitted to appeal.
In 111 (2022), Lee De-wei held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan, questioning whether the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) acted as a ghostwriter for Medigen's vaccine efficacy report to help the company pass its evaluation. Lee subsequently went to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office to accuse Hsueh and Chou of corruption. After investigation, prosecutors closed the case citing insufficient evidence.
Hsueh Riu-yuan and Chou Jhih-haw argued that Lee De-wei, without conducting verification and solely for his own political gain, arbitrarily infringed upon their right to reputation. Given the severity of the infringement, their severely damaged reputations, and significant mental distress, they filed a civil lawsuit with the Taipei District Court seeking NT$2 million each in compensation from Lee.
The Taipei District Court ruled that as a legislator at the time, Lee had no difficulty conducting reasonable verification. By filing a lawsuit and making statements without proper verification, he caused a depreciation of Hsueh and Chou's reputation, human dignity, and social standing. For civil servants who value their unblemished reputation as their lives, this constituted a major infringement. Thus, the court ordered Lee to compensate them NT$600,000 each. Following an appeal, the case was reviewed by the High Court in the second instance.
The second-instance Taiwan High Court stated that Lee De-wei's false statements, which accused and verbally abused Hsueh and Chou of illicitly covering for the Medigen company, were widely broadcast through electronic media. This severely diminished the public's evaluation of Hsueh and Chou, intentionally infringing on their right to reputation. The court found no error in the original judgment ordering Lee to compensate Hsueh and Chou NT$600,000 each. Therefore, it dismissed the appeals from both parties. Lee De-wei cannot appeal further, while Hsueh and Chou are permitted to appeal.
In 111 (2022), Lee De-wei held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan, questioning whether the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) acted as a ghostwriter for Medigen's vaccine efficacy report to help the company pass its evaluation. Lee subsequently went to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office to accuse Hsueh and Chou of corruption. After investigation, prosecutors closed the case citing insufficient evidence.
Hsueh Riu-yuan and Chou Jhih-haw argued that Lee De-wei, without conducting verification and solely for his own political gain, arbitrarily infringed upon their right to reputation. Given the severity of the infringement, their severely damaged reputations, and significant mental distress, they filed a civil lawsuit with the Taipei District Court seeking NT$2 million each in compensation from Lee.
The Taipei District Court ruled that as a legislator at the time, Lee had no difficulty conducting reasonable verification. By filing a lawsuit and making statements without proper verification, he caused a depreciation of Hsueh and Chou's reputation, human dignity, and social standing. For civil servants who value their unblemished reputation as their lives, this constituted a major infringement. Thus, the court ordered Lee to compensate them NT$600,000 each. Following an appeal, the case was reviewed by the High Court in the second instance.