#METOO/Tina Chou not charged with defamation following #MeToo Facebook post

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) The Taipei District Prosecutors Office has decided not to indict Tina Chou (周宜霈), following a defamation suit filed against her by Charles "Blackie" Chen (陳建州) over a Facebook post in June in which she claimed her former boss sexually harassed her during a trip to Hong Kong 11 years ago.

The prosecutor's office said the decision not to charge Chou -- who said in a separate Facebook post in September that she had reported the case to Hong Kong police and would defend her reputation -- was made after she was questioned by Taiwanese authorities that month and discussions were had with Chen in August and October.

The issues went beyond the private realm, the prosecutor noted, because Chou had referred to her experiences as an entertainer in the post and called on other women to protect themselves in the workplace, in a similar vein to other #MeToo issues that went viral in Taiwan at that time.

However, there was enough evidence, for example, mobile screenshots, to back up Chou's accusation that Chen sexually harassed her in Hong Kong 11 years ago and subsequently deprived her of employment opportunities, the prosecutor said.

Referring to the fact that Chou had mentioned being sexually harassed by Chen many times before the Facebook post in June, the prosecutor said he believed the content of Chou's post corresponded with the evidence provided.

The announcement led to Chou posting on Facebook that despite the dip in temperature on Tuesday, her heart feels "very warm."

"I believed that justice would prevail," Chou wrote, expressing her gratitude for the legal system and those who had followed her case.

"I hope this news encourages others to come forward and boosts the faith of those still trapped in #MeToo experiences because I still believe we should do the right thing and come forward."

A series of #MeToo cases came to light in Taiwan in early June, with Chou taking to Facebook on June 27 to accuse her then-boss Chen, who is married to entertainer Christine Fan (范瑋琪), of sexual assault during the Hong Kong trip.

Chou's post led to Chen taking time off from his position as CEO at the professional basketball league P.LEAGUE+, and to Chen and Fan suing Chou for civil compensation of NT$10 million (US$318,969).

Although Chen and Fan canceled the lawsuit in late July, Chen via his lawyers instead asked prosecutors to indict Chou on charges of offenses against reputation and credit.

Chen resigned as the PLG's chairman of the board, CEO, and president in early October but rejoined the league as its vice president in early November.

Chou worked with Chen when he hosted the television program "Blackie's Teenage Club," from 2005-2009. In addition to Chou, Yuan Kuo (郭源元) and DJ Swallow (妖嬌), who also worked on the program, have accused him of sexual harassment and assault.