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In a landmark case in China, an elderly man and his daughter-in-law were found guilty of falsely accusing a young woman who had helped the man after he fell. The court ruled in favor of the student, awarding her 68,000 yuan (approximately $9,300 USD) in damages, while the daughter-in-law was sentenced to 14 days of administrative detention.
The case took place in Hunan, China, when Li, a university sophomore, encountered an elderly man who had fallen near a pedestrian crossing. Moved by compassion, she rushed to help him stand up and handed back his fallen walking stick. The old man initially thanked her, and Li, thinking nothing more of the incident, turned to leave.
However, before she could walk far, a middle-aged woman—later identified as the elderly man's daughter-in-law—stopped her and accused her of knocking the man down. She grabbed Li’s arm and demanded compensation, claiming that her father-in-law was in perfect health and could not have fallen unless someone pushed him. When Li protested her innocence, the woman dismissed her explanations, saying, "If you didn’t push him, why did you help him up?"
As tensions escalated, a crowd gathered, with some bystanders taking the daughter-in-law’s side, while others suspected an attempted scam. Realizing that her words alone would not prove her innocence, Li called the police.
When the police arrived, they attempted to obtain security footage to verify what had happened. However, the location where the incident occurred was a blind spot for surveillance cameras, and there were no immediate eyewitnesses who could confirm the sequence of events. Seeing this as an opportunity, the elderly man's family proceeded to file a lawsuit against Li, demanding compensation for alleged medical expenses.
Li’s case soon went viral on social media, sparking heated debate. While some netizens sympathized with her, others criticized her, arguing that she must have been responsible if she chose to help the man in the first place. Facing mounting pressure, Li regretted her decision to help and feared she would lose the legal battle.
Just as the case seemed hopeless, an unexpected breakthrough emerged. A local resident, who had installed a wide-angle security camera on their balcony for personal security, reviewed their footage and discovered that it had captured the entire incident. The video clearly showed that the elderly man had fallen on his own, without any external force, and that Li had only stepped in to assist him.
With this crucial piece of evidence, the case took a dramatic turn. The court ruled that Li was innocent and that the accusations were entirely fabricated. While the elderly man was spared punishment due to his advanced age, his daughter-in-law was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to 14 days in administrative detention. Additionally, she was ordered to compensate Li 68,000 yuan for emotional distress.
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