Taipei, March 13 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court on Thursday altered the original sentencing of American-born Taiwanese basketball player Quincy Davis in a domestic dispute case, changing the ruling from domestic violence to negligence injury.
The case came about after a disagreement between Davis and his ex-wife outside Chingpu Police Station in Taoyuan’s Zhongli District in May 2023 over a family matter.
In late March 2024, the Taoyuan District Court found Davis guilty of domestic violence, sentencing him to 30 days in jail which could be commuted to a fine of NT$30,000 (US$900).
Davis then reaffirmed his innocence and appealed the ruling which led to the case being forwarded to the Taiwan High Court.
According to the High Court, a panel of judges determined that in an attempt to stop his ex-wife from leaving during an argument, he apparently grabbed her from behind without thinking rather than intentionally causing her bodily harm.
The judges also concluded that the dispute was short in duration, adding that the minor injury sustained by his ex-wife provided further proof that Davis had not intended to harm his former spouse.
The panel of judges added that Davis should have let go of his ex-wife the moment she decided to walk away, as it is easy for a man with Davis’s physical size to inadvertently harm a person.
As such, Davis should have been able to foresee the possibility of injuring his ex-wife and his failure to be aware of that was why he should be held accountable for negligent injury, according to the court.
The High Court further explained that it agreed with Davis’s reason for appealing the original sentence to assert that he was not guilty of assault.
Based on the new ruling, the court reduced Davis’s previous 30-day sentence to 20 days, which can be commuted to a fine of NT$20,000.
