A married man in China suffered a brain haemorrhage after having sex with a female colleague, later entered a vegetative state, and was subsequently fired by his company.
His mother, acting as his legal representative, later took the employer to court and sought more than RMB383,000 in various payments and compensation.
But a court in Hebei province found that the company had lawfully dismissed him because his relationship with his colleague breached workplace rules that he knew about. The employer was ordered to pay only RMB11,159.98 in sick-leave wages.
Man Suffered Brain Haemorrhage After Encounter With Colleague
According to 8world and Red Star News, the man, identified only by his surname Zhang, was over 40 and worked for a company referred to in court documents as Company B.
On the night of 22 January 2024, Zhang had sex with a female colleague after work. He subsequently suffered bleeding in the brain and developed conditions including brain herniation.
He later became a person without civil capacity and was reported to be in a vegetative state.
The company began the process of terminating Zhang on 9 March 2024, saying he had breached its basic employee code and disciplinary rules.
It notified the union overseeing the company, which raised no objection. A termination notice was prepared and delivered to Zhang’s then-wife on 12 March 2024.
Company Rules Allowed Dismissal Over Improper Relationship
A major issue before the court was whether Zhang could legally be dismissed while he was seriously ill.
The court heard that the company had adopted its employee rules and disciplinary system on 28 March 2023 through an employee representatives’ meeting.
Zhang himself had attended that meeting as an employee representative.
Among other things, the rules allowed the company to terminate an employee without compensation for having what was described as an improper relationship with a colleague of the opposite sex.
The court found that Zhang therefore knew about the rule before the January 2024 incident.
It said that although employees have rights while they are ill, illness did not exempt Zhang from responsibility for conduct that seriously breached workplace rules.
The court also found that the company followed the required procedure by informing the union before terminating him. It therefore rejected the argument that he had been unlawfully dismissed.
Family Sought More Than RMB383,000
Zhang’s mother, acting as his guardian and legal representative, first brought the dispute to labour arbitration.
The claims included 11 months of social insurance contributions, sickness relief payments, medical assistance and compensation for allegedly unlawful termination.
On 4 January 2026, the labour arbitration body ordered the company to pay RMB9,764.98 in sick-leave wages covering the period from 23 January to 12 March 2024, while rejecting the other claims.
The dispute then went to the Shahe City court in Hebei.
In its first-instance judgment, the court recalculated the sick-leave wages at RMB11,159.98, based on 80% of Zhang’s monthly salary.
It rejected his claims for unlawful-dismissal compensation and medical assistance. As for the requested payment of 11 months of social insurance contributions, the court said the matter did not fall within the scope of a civil labour dispute and therefore did not deal with it in the case.
