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๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Taiwan /Culture & Society

Taiwanese girl group faces bullying accusations, agency threatens legal action

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Girl group "Huan Lan Xiao Xiong" (Phantom Blue Bear) recently won the Golden Melody Award for Best Vocal Group.
  • Member Cai Zhen was recently accused of school bullying, but the accuser admitted to mistaking the target and apologized.
  • The agency has issued a second statement, warning against further spread of rumors and threatening legal action.

The Taiwanese girl group "Huan Lan Xiao Xiong" (Phantom Blue Bear) finds itself embroiled in controversy just weeks after winning the Golden Melody Award for Best Vocal Group. Member Cai Zhen, 18, was recently accused of past school bullying. However, the original accuser has since admitted to mistaking the target and issued an apology to Cai Zhen.

After our understanding and investigation, the accusations of bullying involving artist Cai Zhen circulating online are baseless and malicious fabrications. Cai Zhen has no involvement in any bullying.

โ€” Lawyer Huang Xiulan, Hanting Law Firm (on behalf of Sky Entertainment)The agency's legal representative denies the bullying allegations.

Despite the clarification and apology, online discussions persist, with some netizens continuing to scrutinize Cai Zhen's past social media activity. She had previously commented on and liked a post that contained disparaging remarks about a female classmate's appearance. This has led to continued accusations of bullying, even after the initial accuser retracted their claim.

However, some individuals, despite knowing that the content has been clarified and corrected, continue to spread false information through social media platforms, forums, comment sections, and other online channels. They use malicious insinuations, fabricated edits, or cropped screenshots, accompanied by insults, defamation, personal attacks, threats, and harassment, causing significant damage to artist Cai Zhen's reputation, character, life, and entertainment career.

โ€” Lawyer Huang Xiulan, Hanting Law Firm (on behalf of Sky Entertainment)The agency details the ongoing online harassment faced by Cai Zhen.

In response, Cai Zhen's agency, Sky Entertainment, has issued a second public statement through their lawyer. The statement firmly denies the bullying allegations, labeling them as "baseless and malicious fabrications." The agency highlighted that the original poster has admitted to insufficient verification and has apologized. However, the statement also noted that some individuals continue to spread unsubstantiated information, using edited screenshots and other tactics, accompanied by insults and threats.

The aforementioned actions have already violated criminal law regarding defamation and civil law concerning the infringement of personality rights. Our firm has completed the collection of relevant evidence and will take legal action against specific accounts, posts, and related infringing acts.

โ€” Lawyer Huang Xiulan, Hanting Law Firm (on behalf of Sky Entertainment)The agency outlines the legal basis for their planned action.

The agency is now taking a firm stance, warning that such actions constitute defamation and infringement of personal rights under Taiwan's criminal and civil laws. They have collected evidence and intend to pursue legal action against specific accounts and posts. The statement urges the public to cease spreading rumors and remove any related content, emphasizing that failure to comply will result in legal consequences.

We hereby formally warn all individuals who continue to spread, forward, comment in agreement, create false content, or perpetuate related rumors in any form to immediately cease all infringing activities and delete relevant posts, comments, videos, and other distributed content. Do not spread misinformation or confuse the public, otherwise you will face legal responsibility.

โ€” Lawyer Huang Xiulan, Hanting Law Firm (on behalf of Sky Entertainment)A direct warning is issued to those continuing to spread rumors.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.