On September 14th， media reports indicated new developments in the Haidilao “urine incident.” The Shanghai Huangpu District People’s Court has issued its first-instance judgment in the case initiated by Sichuan [Restaurant Management Group Co.， Ltd.] and Shanghai [Restaurant Management Co.， Ltd.] against Tang Mou， Wu Mou， and their respective parents， concerning defamation and property damage claims.
The court ruled that the defendants， while protecting the privacy of the minors involved， must issue separate apologies to the plaintiffs in designated newspapers. Furthermore， Tang Mou’s and Wu Mou’s parents are ordered to compensate the plaintiffs for losses including tableware damage and cleaning costs， operational losses， damage to business reputation， and litigation expenses， totaling 2.2 million yuan.
In February of this year， two teenagers， Tang Mou and Wu Mou， both aged 17， urinated into a hot pot at a Haidilao branch after reportedly dining in a private room. They filmed their actions and each other.
In March， Haidilao issued an apology statement. The company announced the destruction and replacement of all tableware in the affected store， a thorough disinfection of the entire premises， and a full refund for 4109 customer orders placed between the time of the incident and the completion of disinfection. Customers received the refund along with a tenfold cash compensation of their order value. Two days later， Haidilao filed a lawsuit against Tang Mou， Wu Mou， and their parents， seeking a public apology and claiming 23，259，300 yuan in damages.
According to the court’s ruling， Haidilao’s claim for over 20 million yuan in compensation from the perpetrators was not fully supported. The court explained that the tenfold compensation offered by Haidilao was a business decision made independently by the company and lacked a direct legal causal link to the actual infringement. Therefore， the court found it difficult to grant such extensive compensation.
This case serves as a stark reminder that guardians bear legal responsibilities for the upbringing， education， and protection of minors. Failure in parental supervision can lead to significant financial liabilities and damage to reputation.
