Restaurant found liable in drunk man’s death

A restaurant owner has been ordered to pay 150,000 yuan ($24,015) to the family of a man who got drunk at a Songjiang district restaurant, fell down a flight of stairs and died, local media reported Wednesday.

The family of the deceased man, surnamed Xu, sued the restaurant for 300,000 yuan on the grounds that it was responsible for their relative's death, according to a press release from Songjiang District People's Court.

Xu, a 40-something owner of a milk tea shop, died at the unnamed restaurant on October 5 after spending an evening there drinking with friends, the court said. He met up with seven friends for dinner around 6 pm. Two of his friends left during the meal.

Around 8:30 pm, Xu left his table to go to the bathroom, which was on a different floor. He fell while traversing the stairs in a drunken state, the court said. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

The court ruled that the restaurant owner bore partial responsibility for Xu's death because there was no railing on the stairwell.

The court refused to grant the family its entire claim because it determined that Xu bore most of the responsibility for his own death.

The family also demanded 60,000 yuan from each of the five friends who stayed to drink with Xu that evening. The court ordered Xu's five companions to each pay 20,000 yuan to Xu's family for failing to look out for their drunken friend.