Yu Dandan v. Chen XXX
Nanfang Daily News - Reporter Chen Lewei, Correspondent Dai Hai: The Bao'an District Court of Shenzhen recently made a first-instance judgment in the highly publicized case of flight attendant Yu Dandan's suicide. The court ordered the defendant, Chen XXX, to pay the plaintiff, Wei XXX, 125,107.18 yuan for personal injury compensation and 30,000 yuan for mental distress compensation, totaling 155,107.18 yuan.
The Bao'an Court informed the media yesterday that such a judgment was based on the following considerations: First, regarding the death of Yu Dandan, the Public Security Bureau has issued a "Death Certificate" classifying it as a suicide. As a fully capable civil actor, Yu Dandan should have cherished her own life. Her choice to end her life due to personal emotional issues means she herself bears primary responsibility for this unfortunate outcome. Second, the defendant, Chen XXX, who had a special emotional relationship with Yu Dandan, possessed more advantages than her in terms of age, social experience, and life experiences. During their emotional disputes, Chen XXX should have been more aware that Yu Dandan was in a fragile emotional state. Third, on the day of the incident, when Yu Dandan sent a text message with suicidal tendencies to the defendant, instead of making a judgment based on his rich life experience and background, Chen XXX sent some messages back to Yu Dandan that could easily induce feelings of sadness and world-weariness, exacerbating Yu Dandan's intention to commit suicide.
The announcement stated that taking into account these three aspects, the court believed that regarding the passing of Yu Dandan, the defendant, Chen XXX, did not adequately fulfill his obligation to ensure Yu Dandan's personal safety based on their special emotional relationship. Therefore, he bore a certain degree of fault for Yu Dandan's death. Hence, the court determined that he should bear 20% of the liability for compensation, leading to the aforementioned judgment.
Case Recap:
As investigated by the court, in 2007, the plaintiff Wei XXX’s daughter, Yu Dandan, enrolled at the Civil Aviation University of China. On August 27, 2009, during a training session for cabin crew at a hotel in Beijing, Yu Dandan met the defendant, Chen XXX (married), who was responsible for hotel operations and cabin crew training management. They developed a romantic relationship.
In late February 2010, Yu Dandan proposed to Chen XXX to end their romantic relationship. On March 7, 2010, around 1 PM, Yu Dandan left her workplace and checked into a single room at Jinjiang Inn. She later committed suicide by hanging in Room 509 of the inn. On March 19, 2010, the Bao'an Branch of the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau issued a "Forensic Death Certificate," confirming that Yu Dandan died from hanging.