Drunk passenger ordered to pay $18,000 to taxi driver he assaulted

A South Korean court has ordered a drunken passenger to pay more than 25 million won (approximately $18,000) in damages to a taxi driver he violently assaulted. The incident occurred after the driver woke the intoxicated passenger upon reaching his destination.

The ruling came from the Busan District Court's Eastern Branch, where Judge Shin Seung-ah presided over the damages lawsuit filed by the taxi driver. The court found the passenger liable for the assault and ordered him to pay 25.69 million won.

According to the court documents, the taxi driver arrived at the passenger's destination in Sasang-gu, Busan, around 1:38 AM on August 6, 2023. When the heavily intoxicated passenger did not wake up, the driver gently roused him. In response, the passenger exited the taxi and proceeded to repeatedly strike the driver in the face and on the shoulder.

The assault escalated as the passenger pushed the driver down, continued to strike him, and then pursued him when he attempted to flee, only to knock him down again and assault him further. The driver sustained multiple injuries from the unprovoked attack.

During the trial, the passenger attempted to shift blame, arguing that the taxi driver's method of waking him – by physically touching him – was improper. He claimed that if the driver had instead taken him to a police station, the incident could have been avoided or its severity reduced. However, Judge Shin rejected this defense, stating that even if the driver had touched the passenger to wake him, it did not contribute to the occurrence or escalation of the damages. The court affirmed the taxi driver's right to seek compensation for the assault.

“

Even if the plaintiff woke the defendant directly, it is difficult to consider that the plaintiff contributed to the occurrence or expansion of the damage.