Haidilao pee-in-hotpot prank costs teenage duo 2.2 million yuan

Two 17-year-old boys who urinated in a Haidilao hotpot were ordered on Friday to publicly apologize and pay 2.2 million yuan (US$308,000) in damages, a Shanghai court ruled on Friday.

The case drew widespread attention online after a video of the act went viral. Police in Shanghai's downtown Huangpu District later detained the boys, surnamed Tang and Wu, and imposed administrative penalties.

The plaintiffs, Sichuan Haidilao Catering Co and its Shanghai subsidiary, later sued the teenagers and their parents, seeking a public apology and more than 23 million yuan in compensation.

On Friday, the Huangpu District People's Court ruled that the teenagers had deliberately engaged in behavior that infringed on both property and reputation, and knowingly allowed the video to spread online despite the likely social impact.

The ruling ordered the parents to pay the restaurant 130,000 yuan in compensation for damage to tableware and cleaning, and an additional 2.07 million yuan for lost revenue, reputational damage, and legal expenses.

The court noted the minors were capable of understanding the illegality of their actions and the consequences of the lawsuit, and that their parents had failed in their supervisory duties.

It also stated that the restaurant's response, including replacing tableware and full refunds to affected diners, was reasonable and directly related to the incident.