Desk Report:
A court in Shanghai, China, has ordered the parents of two teenagers to pay 2.2 million yuan (over 3.76 billion 43 million rupees) in compensation. Because the two teenagers committed an indecent act at a popular restaurant called ‘Haidi Lao’ while drunk, damaging the restaurant’s reputation.
The UK-based media outlet Independent reported that the incident took place on February 24 in a private room of the restaurant’s Shanghai branch. There, two 17-year-old teenagers climbed onto a table while drunk, urinated in a bowl of soup and recorded the video. The video caused a strong public outcry when it went viral on social media.
Although there was no evidence that anyone had eaten the contaminated soup, the restaurant compensated about 4,000 customers to protect its reputation. The restaurant authorities also complained to the police in this regard. Later, the two teenagers were arrested after an investigation was conducted in various places, including Xianyang, Sichuan. In March, the restaurant “Haidi Lao” filed a lawsuit in their name, demanding a public apology and about 23 million yuan in compensation.
In the ruling, Shanghai’s Huangpu District Court recently said that the teenagers intentionally damaged the restaurant’s property and their actions were insulting and damaging to its reputation. This not only contaminated the tableware, but also caused severe resentment and dissatisfaction among the public. According to the court, the parents did not properly fulfill their parental responsibilities.
The ruling ordered the teenagers’ parents to pay 2 million yuan in compensation for business and reputational damage, 130,000 yuan in damages for the damage and cleaning of the tableware, and 70,000 yuan in legal costs. The court also ordered that the teenagers and their parents publicly apologize by publishing a notice in the newspaper, but that the personal privacy of the accused teenagers be protected.
It is worth noting that Haidi Lao, which started in Sichuan in 1994, is now one of the most popular hotpot chains in the world. As of June 2023, the restaurant has opened more than 1,360 branches in China alone. And it has about 1,400 branches worldwide. The company has 122 branches in 14 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, and Canada.
Many are seeing this ruling as an exemplary punishment, so that the role of parents in teaching social responsibility and etiquette is clear.
