China Woman Dies After Six Cosmetic Surgeries In One Day, Family Seeks Compensation

In a tragic incident, a woman in China died after undergoing six cosmetic surgeries in a single day, sparking a lawsuit filed by her family against the clinic involved. Her family sought compensation of USD 168,000, alleging negligence and improper care. However, they received only half of the requested amount in the settlement. This case has sparked discussions about the risks associated with multiple surgical procedures and the growing demand for cosmetic enhancements in China. 

According to the South China Morning Post, the woman who has been identified as Liu, belonging to a rural area in Guigang, Guangxi province, southern China visited a clinic in Nanning on December 9, 2020. She also took out a loan of over 40,000 yuan (US$5,600) to finance the procedures. Liu first underwent double eyelid surgery and a nose job, which lasted five hours, followed by liposuction on her thighs the next morning.

The extracted fat was then injected into her face and breasts in another five-hour procedure. However, just as Liu was discharged on December 11, she suddenly collapsed in the clinic’s lift. Despite emergency efforts by the clinic staff, Liu’s condition deteriorated rapidly. She was rushed to The Second Nanning People’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead later that afternoon. The autopsy report showed that she died from ”acute respiratory failure due to pulmonary embolism after liposuction”.

In the aftermath, Liu’s family took legal action, filing a lawsuit against the clinic at Jiangnan District People’s Court of Nanning City. They demanded compensation of 1.18 million yuan (US$168,000), alleging negligence and malpractice on the part of the clinic. 

Her husband said, ”The clinic offered me 200,000 yuan as compensation. I said that at least one million yuan should be given for a person’s death. Even if we split the responsibility, it should still be at least 500,000 yuan. I refused their private settlement, and I said we should just go to court.”

The legal battle intensified as the clinic shifted blame to Liu, claiming she should have understood the risks associated with cosmetic surgery. Despite the autopsy report, the clinic argued that malpractice had not been proven. However, when multiple court-commissioned agencies requested the clinic’s treatment standards, they refused to comply. In May 2021, the court initially held the clinic fully responsible for Liu’s death, ordering compensation of over one million yuan (US$140,000). The clinic appealed, and in August, the court revised the ruling, acknowledging partial responsibility and reducing compensation to 590,000 yuan.

The court-ordered evaluation revealed that Liu’s pre-existing physical condition may have played a role in her death, leading to a revised judgment of shared liability between Liu and the clinic. 

The tragic incident went viral on social media, garnering over 50 million views and unleashing a torrent of public outrage against the clinic. One user wrote, ”Six surgeries in one day? Does the clinic have no common sense? Did they not consider the risk of complications, especially with liposuction, which can easily lead to blood clots?”

Another commented, ”Dying in the pursuit of beauty. This is really beyond extreme.”