High Court orders RCA, 3 other companies pay NT$170 million damages

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's High Court ruled on Wednesday that the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and three other companies must pay NT$170 million (US$5.14 million) to former workers and family members affected by cancer-causing chemicals used at RCA's factory in Taoyuan from 1970 to 1992.

The second-instance judgement by the High Court in the case involving 222 plaintiffs seeking health-related damages represents the latest development in a series of complex legal battles that have been fought over the past two decades.

"Although the amount of today's verdict is not high, the ruling is still a step in the right direction," said Tu Chin-chu (杜津珠), chairperson of the RCA Employee Care Association, outside the court on Wednesday.

"At the same time, [the verdict] also tells business owners that they should take into account employees' physical and mental health when pursuing reasonable profits," Tu said.

"We also hope that Taiwanese companies will learn a lesson from the RCA case and treat the younger generation of workers well."

The plaintiff's legal team also issued a press release after the ruling, expressing their view that the compensation amount was lower than the workers deserved.

Noting that the affected former RCA workers would find the compensation amount "hard to accept," the lawyers said they would discuss with them whether to appeal the decision.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, the High Court said that its judgement took into account scientific findings from overseas agencies, including the U.S.-based Health Effects Institute (HEI).

The court found that the plaintiffs were exposed to levels of harmful substances that exceeded legally-acceptable levels.

RCA, a American electronics company, operated three factories in Taiwan from 1970 to 1992, employing around 80,000 workers at their peak.

In 1986, RCA was taken over by American conglomerate General Electric (GE), which sold its factory in what was then the county of Taoyuan in 1988 to Thomson Consumer Electronics, the U.S. subsidiary of French company Technicolor Group S.A.

Three years after the acquisition, Thomson Consumer Electronics discovered pollutants at its Taoyuan plant and closed it the following year.

In 1998, a group of workers formed a self-help association to seek compensation through legal channels, resulting in multiple lawsuits involving nearly 2,000 plaintiffs beginning in 2004.

RCA was found liable for illnesses, including cancer, contracted by employees due to exposure to harmful chemicals such as the carcinogen trichloroethylene (TCE).

The company was also found to have dumped toxic waste close to its factory, contaminating soil and groundwater.

In 2020, the High Court ruled in a civil suit against RCA, its parent company, and successor entities that 24 out of 246 plaintiffs in one case be awarded NT$54.7 million while rejecting the claims of the remaining 222.

Following appeals, the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the case involving the 222 plaintiffs be returned to the High Court for a second trial, whose decision was released on Wednesday.

The case can be appealed.