TAIPEI – Taiwanese TV host Blackie Chen, who was accused by actress Tina Chou of sexual harassment, has sued her for allegedly damaging his reputation.
The move came after he and his wife, singer Christine Fan, dropped a civil lawsuit against Chou last Thursday.
Chou, 38, also known by her stage name Da Ya (Big Tooth), alleged on social media on June 27 that her former boss – a “Mr Chen” – had hugged her from behind and tried to coerce her into having sex at a hotel in Hong Kong in the early morning of July 18, 2012.
Chen, 46, and his wife, 47, denied the allegations.
Internet sleuths then went to the host’s social media account and found that at 7.36am on July 18, 2012, he posted a photo of himself and Chou at the airport, heading to Hong Kong to film a programme.
On June 28, Chen and Fan – who tied the knot in 2011 – filed a NT$10 million (S$424,000) lawsuit against Chou to “restore the reputation of the parties concerned”.
Following Chou’s claims, Taiwanese actress Yuan Kuo and musician DJ Swallow also came forward in late June to accuse Chen of past sexual harassment.
Chou, an artiste represented by Chen’s agency before she left in 2014, disclosed on social media on Monday that the couple have dropped the civil lawsuit against her, sharing a photo of the court notice for the withdrawal.
Thanking everyone who believed in her or offered to help her, she wrote: “In the past month, I couldn’t eat or sleep and had to seek mental health and psychological counselling after I came forward during the #MeToo movement and became the first victim to be sued.”
She added: “I received the notice of withdrawal from the court today and believe that the truth cannot be challenged.”
However, it has since been disclosed that Chen has instead filed a criminal complaint against her, accusing her of damaging his reputation.
A civil case is essentially a dispute between private parties, while a criminal complaint can result in criminal proceedings against the perpetrator.
Chen’s manager declined to comment on the latest suit, telling the Taiwanese media that the entertainer is following the advice of his lawyers.
Chou has so far not reacted publicly to the criminal complaint.
