A court in China has ordered a woman to pay 62,000 yuan (US$8,600) in compensation to the family of her married lover, who died after having sex with her in a hotel room.
The reason for the death of the 66-year-old man, surnamed Zhou, was acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), according to a medical certificate issued by a local hospital, according to Red Star News.
Hours before his death, Zhou had sex with his lover, identified as Zhuang, at a hotel in Pingnan county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, southern China on July 14, 2024.
Zhou’s wife and son sued the hotel and Zhuang for not fulfilling their obligation to save Zhou.
They were seeking 550,000 yuan (US$77,000), to which the court added 70,000 yuan (US$9,800) for funeral costs, making a total of 620,000 yuan (US$86,000), before making its final ruling.
Zhou and Zhuang worked together at a factory in the 1980s. They met again at a party in 2023.
On July 24, 2024, Zhou checked in at a hotel and called Zhuang to join him.
According to Zhuang, they had sex before falling asleep. When she woke up, she found Zhou was not breathing.
Thinking Zhou had died, Zhuang was frightened and at a loss as to what to do.
Since she has hypertension, she went home first to take some pills to reduce her blood pressure.
When she returned to the hotel and could not open the room where she had been with Zhou, she asked a hotel worker to help her open the door.
On entering the room, they found Zhou did not respond to their shouting. The hotel worker called an ambulance and the police.
Doctors and police officers later confirmed that Zhou was dead.
Police found out that Zhou also had hypertension and had previously suffered a stroke.
The court ruled that Zhou’s death was caused by his pre-existing conditions, and he should bear the main responsibility.
Zhuang should only bear secondary liability because she was not aware of Zhou’s previous illnesses.
The court also said that she left the room and returned an hour later, missing the best time to save him.
In addition, the ruling said that by having an affair with Zhou, knowing that he was married, she had violated public order and good customs.
In the end, the court decided that Zhuang should pay Zhou’s family 10 per cent of the earlier 620,000 yuan figure.
The hotel was not at fault and was therefore not required to pay anything because Zhou died inside a room, not in a public area, added the court. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
