Huang Hui-fu Case
Through the efforts of the pro bono defense counsel, three medical evaluations from National Taiwan University Hospital, Tri-Service General Hospital, and Taipei Veterans General Hospital were introduced as new evidence, finally leading to the reopening of the trial in 2018 and an acquittal on December 19, 2019.
| Date | Event |
| August 7, 2008 | Dr. Huang Hui-fu performed a fasciotomy on the right leg of a patient suffering from "simple compartment syndrome" due to a traffic accident. On the 5th day post-surgery, the patient voluntarily transferred to another hospital, where it was discovered that the right lower leg was necrotic due to vascular occlusion, necessitating an amputation. The patient's family filed a criminal complaint against Dr. Huang Hui-fu. |
| January 27, 2014 First-instance Judgment |
The first-instance judge held that X-ray examinations showed no dislocation, and there was no evidence proving that symptoms such as right knee dislocation, displacement, and compression of the popliteal artery existed at the time of the transfer. According to nursing records, the patient's blood circulation showed no abnormalities during hospitalization; Dr. Huang Hui-fu's failure to perform an angiogram did not constitute negligence; and the medical team did indeed care for and observe the patient's blood circulation status post-surgery. Therefore, it was determined that Dr. Huang Hui-fu committed no medical negligence and he was acquitted. |
| October 7, 2014 Final Second-instance Judgment |
Although expert opinions indicated that Dr. Huang Hui-fu's diagnosis and surgery involved no negligence, the second-instance judges speculated on their own that the patient's amputation resulted from tissue necrosis, from which it could be inferred that symptoms such as dislocation and compression of the popliteal artery had already occurred prior to the transfer. They also held that Dr. Huang Hui-fu only visited the patient's room the day after surgery, and the medical records failed to document the patient's blood circulation status, which violated medical practice standards. Consequently, the judgment was overturned to a conviction of professional negligence resulting in grievous bodily harm, sentencing him to four months' imprisonment. |
| July 28, 2017 | The Grand Justices rendered Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 752, declaring that Article 376 of the Code of Criminal Procedure—which prohibited appeals to the third instance for cases where a first-instance acquittal was reversed to a conviction in the second instance—was unconstitutional. |
| November 7, 2017 | The Legislative Yuan amended Article 376 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, but the new law took effect upon promulgation without establishing a transitional period. |
| December 19, 2019 | Judgment on retrial; the appeal was dismissed, upholding the first-instance acquittal. |
| March 10, 2020 | The Taiwan High Court rendered a criminal compensation decision. |