Overview
- The injury occurred during an October 2023 wedding in Henan when a group of men reportedly dragged the 20-year-old bridesmaid from a closet, pushed her onto a bed and tossed her into the air on a bedsheet.
- She suffered a burst fracture of the first lumbar vertebra, was hospitalized for 18 days and was later judged to have a Grade 9 disability equal to a 20% impairment.
- The bridesmaid sued the newlyweds and nine others seeking about $40,000 in medical costs and emotional distress.
- The court ruling, which came Monday, ordered roughly $34,000 in compensation and split liability with the newlyweds paying 40%, the man who pulled her from the closet paying 20% and the remaining defendants sharing 40%.
- Reporters and legal documents frame the case against the backdrop of hunnao, a traditional wedding hazing practice that has in some places escalated into risky pranks and raised fresh questions about safety and host responsibility at private ceremonies.