China teens fined nearly S$400K for viral Haidilao hotpot urination video
Two 17-year-olds who went viral earlier this year for urinating into a hotpot at a Haidilao outlet in China have been ordered to pay almost S$400,000 in damages.
On 12 Sept, the Shanghai Huangpu District People’s Court ruled that the pair and their parents must jointly compensate Haidilao 2.2 million yuan (about S$397,000) for losses and issue public apologies in designated newspapers.
Although the ruling was largely welcomed by the public, some felt it was too lenient, with online commentators even suggesting the teens should have been forced to finish the hotpot they urinated into.
Viral urination video sparks outcry
The case stemmed from an incident on 24 Feb, when the two teenagers, surnamed Tang and Wu, were dining in a private room at a Haidilao branch in Shanghai.
The two took turns climbing onto the table and urinating into the hotpot while filming each other.
Source: Singtao
Three days later, Wu uploaded the video to his social media.
It quickly spread online, sparking widespread outrage and concerns over food safety.
Shanghai police later placed both teens under administrative detention.
Teens & family to pay millions in damages
Following the incident, Haidilao destroyed all tableware in the affected branch, conducted deep cleaning and disinfection, and refunded all 4,109 orders served between the time of the act and the disinfection.
Customers were also given additional compensation worth 10 times the value of their bills, a voluntary move by the company.
Source: Wikimedia Commons, for illustration purposes only
On 12 Sept, the court ordered the teens and their parents to pay a total of 2.2 million yuan, comprising:
- 130,000 yuan (S$23,400) for tableware replacement and disinfection
- 2 million yuan (S$361,000) for business and reputational losses
- 70,000 yuan (S$12,600) in legal costs
If the teens have personal assets, they will pay from their own property first. Any shortfall will be covered by their parents.
However, the court rejected Haidilao’s attempt to recover the tenfold compensation it had given customers, ruling it was a voluntary business decision not directly caused by the teens’ actions.
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Featured image adapted from Singtao and VCG via Global Times, for illustration purposes only.
