China woman sues male colleague for breaking her ribs while hugging, gets compensation

A friendly hug to a colleague has turned very expensive for a man in China.

A court in China has order a man to pay 10,000 yuan (Rs 1.16 lakh) to female colleague as compensation breaking her ribs while giving her a hug.

Reportedly, the incident took place in May 2021, when the woman, belonging to the Hunan province of Yueyang city, was approached by the man while talking to a co-worker and gave her a tight hug. This led her to scream in pain and she felt discomfort in her chest even after going back home. The woman, however, did not consult a medical professional but put some hot oil on the area and went to sleep.


In the coming days, she experienced excruciating pain due to which she decided to seek medical help.

An X-ray at the hospital revealed that the woman had three broken ribs- one on the left side of the ribcage and two on the right. The woman mad to take leave too recuperate, leading to loss in the income. The treatment resulted in heavy medical bills.

During this time, the woman met with the male co-worker with an aim to negotiate a settlement with him. However, the duo did not reach an agreement as the man argued that his colleague had no evidence to prove that her ribs were broken due to the hug.

Forced by the circumstances, the woman had no othe option but to file a lawsuit against her male colleague in the Yunxi Court of Yueyang City.

Giving a decision in her favour, the court said that there was no way to to prove that the woman indulged in an activity that might have broken her ribs, this despite her discovering about the damaged ribs five days after the hug.