Cafe owner fined for customer injury caused by faulty chair

A 40-year-old unmanned cafe owner has been fined 700,000 won for causing injury to a customer due to a faulty chair. The incident occurred on August 19 last year when a customer, identified as B, sat on a chair, and its support pin detached, causing B to fall backward with the chair.

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The CCTV footage shows that the position of the chair's seat is visually different from other normal chairs.

The customer suffered neck sprains and strains, requiring approximately two weeks of medical treatment. Prosecutors argued that the owner, A, had a duty to periodically inspect and maintain the cafe's facilities, including chairs, to ensure they were not worn out or broken. They contended that A's negligence led to the customer's injury.

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If the defendant had fulfilled their duty of care, they could have prevented the victim from being injured by replacing the chair.

While the owner initially received a summary order for a 700,000 won fine, they appealed for a formal trial. During the trial, the court reviewed CCTV footage and observed that the chair's seat position was visibly different from other chairs. The judge stated that the owner could have prevented the accident by replacing the chair.

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The victim merely sat on the chair and moved it back slightly in a normal manner, so there appears to be no negligence on the part of the victim.

The court ruled that the customer's actions, which involved sitting down and slightly moving the chair backward, did not constitute contributory negligence. Considering all factors, the court deemed the 700,000 won fine appropriate and did not find grounds to reduce it, upholding the initial penalty.

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Considering all the sentencing factors in the case record and trial, the fine in the summary order does not appear to be excessive.