By reporter Ming Tu
On the evening of January 23, a man attended the year-end banquet of Fuzhou Lica Culture Exchange Co., Ltd. He returned home after drinking and was found dead the next day. The deceased's family demanded compensation from Fuzhou Lica Culture Exchange Co., Ltd., but as the two parties failed to reach an agreement, a conflict occurred.
The deceased was named Zhuo Mouzhuo, a resident of Zhenghe County, who was 37 years old. According to the family, Zhuo Mouzhuo was an employee of Fuzhou Lica Culture Exchange Co., Ltd., having joined in November of the previous year. On the evening of January 23, the company held its annual year-end banquet at Shan Yue Building on Pingdong Road. Zhuo Mouzhuo attended, drank alcohol, and became heavily intoxicated. A colleague sent him back to his rented apartment. At around 6:30 PM on the 24th, Mr. Mao, a fellow townsman living nearby, visited Zhuo and discovered that he was cold to the touch with dilated pupils, had vomited extensively, and looked frightening. Mr. Mao then notified the family. An ambulance arrived, and after examination, the doctor declared that Zhuo Mouzhuo had already passed away.
It is understood that Zhuo Mouzhuo was unmarried, childless, and both of his parents had already passed away. Relatives from Zhenghe County came to confront the company and demand compensation. The reason provided by the deceased's family for the claim was: "He died after attending your company’s year-end gathering; your company must take responsibility."
Relevant personnel from Fuzhou Lica Culture Exchange Co., Ltd. stated that all attendees of the company's year-end gathering were employees, totaling over thirty people. At the time, Zhuo kept raising his glass to toast others and later became heavily intoxicated, requiring assistance from a colleague to return home. The following morning, someone from the company notified Zhuo to come collect his salary, to which Zhuo replied that he was feeling unwell and could not come immediately. By noon, a fellow townsman brought Zhuo food and saw him sleeping in bed. It wasn't until the evening when the fellow townsman checked again that it was discovered that Zhuo had passed away.
Relevant personnel from the company indicated that the deceased's family had no basis for claiming the company bore responsibility. Since more than thirty people attended the year-end gathering, many of whom consumed alcohol without incident, why did only Zhuo have an issue? Additionally, as Zhuo had only recently joined the company, they were not fully aware of his health condition.
After receiving the alarm, the Wufeng Police Station intervened in the investigation. Officers stated that since Zhuo died in his rented apartment and there were no signs of struggle at the scene, homicide has been ruled out. For the time being, the cause of Zhuo's death remains a mystery. The police indicated that an autopsy would be necessary to determine the exact cause of death.
Fuzhou Lica Culture Exchange Co., Ltd. expressed that while the deceased's family demanded 300,000 yuan in compensation, the company could not agree to this amount. They suggested providing appropriate humanitarian compensation or resolving the matter through legal channels.