In China, an employer to pay 846,000 yuan for an employee's death after nine slaps

A salary dispute that ended in an employee's death

In the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, Henan province, a 59-year-old worker surnamed Ma came to his employer, surnamed Qin, on December 14, 2024 to confront him over unpaid wages and his dismissal. The conversation escalated into a fight: the boss struck his subordinate on the head and face, and later admitted to the police himself that he had slapped him nine times. Surveillance footage confirmed that it was the employer who first used physical force. This was reported by The Paper, citing court documents, with details retold by Life.ru.

A stroke and 14 months in a coma

A few hours after the beating, Ma complained of dizziness, numbness in his limbs and weakness in his legs. Doctors diagnosed an acute ischemic stroke, brain swelling and brain herniation; several operations failed to bring the man back to consciousness. He spent 14 months in a coma and died on February 28, 2026. As Gazeta.Runotes, the deceased had previously had health problems — hypertension and a prior stroke — but before the conflict he was able to work and lead a normal life on his own.

The court's decision

A forensic examination established that the beating and the emotional shock it caused were the main factors that triggered the new stroke. The court recognized the employer's actions as the direct cause of Ma's deterioration, emphasizing that the victim's chronic illnesses do not exempt the attacker from liability. At the same time, the man's health condition and the circumstances of the conflict were taken into account: Qin was assigned 70% of the responsibility and ordered to pay the family 846,550 yuan — about 10 million rubles. Qin tried to challenge the decision, claiming he had acted in self-defense, but the second-instance court rejected the appeal and upheld the compensation.