Two teens have had their day in court after allegedly ‘peeing’ into the hotpot of a restaurant in China.
Earlier this year, a viral video sparked outrage when it showed two teens peeing into a simmering pot of food at a Shanghai branch of the Haidilao restaurant chain.
The 17-year-olds, surnamed Wu and Tang, were accused of filming and sharing the act online, fully aware of its potential impact. The footage showed them standing on a table and relieving themselves into the broth in a private dining room.
Once the video spread, Haidilao issued a public apology, admitting staff were unprepared to handle such an incident. The chain destroyed and replaced all utensils, refunded more than 4,000 orders made between February 24 and March 8, and offered affected customers compensation worth ten times their original payments.
In March, two catering companies linked to the restaurant sued Wu, Tang, and their parents, demanding a public apology and damages of more than 2.2 million yuan (about $309,000).
Shanghai’s Huangpu District People’s Court ordered the teens and their parents to apologize publicly in designated newspapers and to cover the damages. However, the court noted that Haidilao’s decision to provide tenfold compensation was a voluntary business choice rather than a legal requirement.
State media emphasized that the parents must share responsibility for their children’s actions. China Comment, a Communist Party magazine, wrote that the case highlights the “heavy penalties” parents may face if they fail to supervise their children.
“This behavior can no longer be dismissed as a simple prank,” the editorial stated, condemning the teens’ actions as showing “extreme disregard for others’ rights” and a “blatant challenge to social norms.”
Source: unilad.com