Viral: Passenger forced to pay over Rs 56,000 for reclining seat during train journey in China

According to a story in the Chinese journal The Paper, an earlier this year, a train passenger was sued by the person who had been sitting behind him and was ultimately ordered to pay damages to that individual.

Court records identify the complaint as Wang, a university student who was using a laptop on the fold down table of the Wuhan-bound train when the person in front of him, Liu, reclined his chair.

The laptop's screen was shattered when the chair fell on it. Before the two departed the train, Wang called the police. Since they were unable to come to an agreement over compensation, Wang filed a lawsuit against Liu to recover money for his ruined trip and the expense of repairs.

The court determined that Liu must pay 3341 yuan ($700) to Wang, which is 70% of what Wang had asked, since the chairs featured signs instructing riders to let people behind them know if they planned to recline their seats.

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Due to Wang's "not being alert about the influence that the alterations to the front seat would have on his computer," the court determined that he was 30% at fault for the accident.

Weibo, China's version of Twitter, has now seen a surge in interest as individuals share their own experiences with a similar situation.