FUTIAN District People’s Court has recently ordered a defendant surnamed Li to apologize and pay 18,800 yuan (US$2,939) in damages to another man surnamed Sun who filed a lawsuit of reputation infringement against him, Shenzhen Evening News reported.

A few years ago, Li’s wife and Sun co-founded a startup company. However, the failure of the company resulted in huge economic losses for Li, and a breakdown in the relationship between Li and Sun.

Li started posting insulting messages and pictures about Sun on WeChat Moments in January 2019. At that time, Li had about 1,200 friends on WeChat. Sun believed that Li’s defamatory and malicious words damaged his right of reputation and caused a detrimental impact upon his life and work.

After trial, the district court determined that Li’s messages on WeChat Moments violated Sun’s right of reputation and that he should bear legal liability for his actions.

During the trial, Li deleted all text and pictures involved and was ordered to make an apology to Sun in writing. As Li’s two-year reputation infringement upon Sun caused the emotional trauma, the court ordered Li to pay 3,000 yuan in compensation for Sun’s mental distress.

Meanwhile, Sun believed Li should pay the notarial fees of 800 yuan and his attorney’s fees of 15,000 yuan. The court accommodated his request, based on the related laws and regulations. (Xia Yuanjie)