A sudden death case in Hanshou, Hunan, earlier this March has sparked public attention after a man surnamed Li died at a foot massage parlor, leading to accusations that the establishment had provided illegal sexual services.
According to reports from Tencent News and other outlets, Li visited the foot massage shop in the early hours of March 19 for a massage and was attended to by a female masseuse surnamed Yang. After taking a shower, Li appeared to have fallen asleep and did not wake up. When Yang noticed the session was ending but Li was still unresponsive, she alerted the front desk, who then called the store manager, surnamed Xu, and an ambulance. Paramedics arrived and performed CPR for about 10 minutes before rushing Li to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The incident took a controversial turn when investigators reportedly found semen traces on Li’s thighs and urethral area. His family accused the parlor of offering sexual services, claiming overstimulation led to his sudden death, and subsequently sued the shop for 1.13 million yuan (around RM730,000 / NT$4.86 million) in damages.
During the court hearing, forensic reports revealed that Li had an existing heart condition, and the cause of death was acute cardiac failure due to an aortic dissection leading to cardiac tamponade. The court ruled that Li, as an adult with full capacity, should have been aware of his health risks and thus bore primary responsibility for his own death.
The court also stated that the forensic report did not confirm the cause of the semen found, and therefore, there was no evidence proving that the massage parlor engaged in illegal sexual services.
However, the judge determined that the shop manager failed to fulfill safety and emergency obligations, holding the business 15% liable for Li’s death. After deducting the 80,000 yuan (about NT$340,000) already paid to the family, the court ordered the manager to pay an additional 90,000 yuan (around RM58,000 / NT$380,000) in compensation.
