Chapter 483 The World is So Big That Nothing Can Be Strange
However, unlike Xiao Peng who was confused, Fabian had a "relaxed and happy" expression.
"Xiao, don't worry!" Fabian laughed. "Didn't you ask me why our company pays millions to law firms every year? It's to deal with things like this."
Xiao Peng was stunned after hearing this: "Why do you sound like you have a lot of experience?"
"Me?" Fabian pointed at Pascal. "Ask him how many times he's been blackmailed. I don't know how bad the blackmail situation is over there, but it's definitely not as bad as it is here! After all, I'm considered an 'upstart'. Compared to Pascal, he has more experience."
Xiao Peng's face was filled with gloom. "Why do you sound so proud?"
Fabian said: "Believe me, here, if you have never been blackmailed, you are not considered rich."
Xiao Peng looked at Pascal: "Is this really the case?"
Pascal nodded and said, "I've been out to sea more often since I met you, so I've encountered fewer incidents like this. Let me give you a simple example: You know I have five berths at La Ciotat Marina. Once, a boat secretly docked at one of my berths while the dock staff weren't paying attention. A girl who was attending the party got high on marijuana and fell into the sea and drowned. The girl's family sued the young man who organized the party for compensation."
Xiao Peng nodded: "That's the right thing to do. This lawsuit will definitely win."
Pascal continued, "Yes, that young man was sentenced for manslaughter due to gathering and drinking alone, and he's also liable for civil compensation. But it turns out he's a liar himself, claiming to be a 'rich second-generation' when in reality he has no money at all. His boat was rented, otherwise how could he have secretly parked it at my berth when he couldn't even afford the berthing fees? The family of the deceased, unable to receive financial compensation, filed a second lawsuit, this time against both the La Ciotat Marina management and me, claiming that our poor management allowed them to enter the berth, and they're demanding I bear responsibility for the financial losses."
Xiao Peng whistled, "The people who are responsible are the La Ciotat Pier Management Office. What does it have to do with you?"
"What kind of money does the dock management have?" Pascal said disdainfully. "They're just after money. Do you know how much I'm asking for in compensation for the consequential losses? Five million! How much did I have at the time?"
"What's the final result?" Xiao Peng asked.
Pascal shrugged. "Of course, we won the lawsuit: the lawyer's investigation proved they were already smoking drugs while at sea. The yacht's captain ordered them back to port, claiming they had violated the yacht charter agreement. The young man who rented the yacht gave the captain a red envelope, which is why the yacht stopped at La Ciotat and continued to party. The captain had already returned home, so this matter has nothing to do with me."
"Then it's the captain's responsibility, right?" Xiao Peng said.
Pascal nodded and said, "You're right. So after the victim's family lost the case and didn't get any money from me, they sued the captain again and finally got 70,000 yuan in compensation from the captain."
Xiao Peng whistled. "A life is worth 70,000 yuan? Now that I think about it, it's quite tragic, but why can't I feel sympathy? There's a saying in our country: 'There's always something hateful about a pitiful person.' Now that I think about it, it makes sense: if she hadn't gone to the yacht party, if she hadn't smoked marijuana, this wouldn't have happened, right? Every sip and bite has a cause and an effect. The ancients were right."
Pascal said, "There are so many strange things like this. Do you still remember Gerard from La Ciotat?"
Xiao Peng thought for a moment and then remembered: "I remember this guy, poor kid. Why mention him?"
Gerard was the community manager of the La Ciotat villa area. At that time, the entire La Ciotat villa area was full of complaints because Xiao Peng was asked to play the suona. Gerard was almost driven crazy because of this incident and stayed in the church every day.
Pascal explained, "La Ciotat Villas is a good place. Have you ever thought about where his predecessor went and why he gave up such a good position to Gerrard?"
"Why?" Xiao Peng asked puzzledly.
Pascal explained, "The previous community manager was dismissed. You might not believe the reason. A resident of the villa complex participated in a motorcycle parade. On his way back, he drank a bit too much and crashed into a community trash can, resulting in his death. The deceased's family believed the trash can was improperly placed and lacked protective measures or safety warning signs. They're demanding compensation from the community for the man's death, including compensation for living expenses and other expenses, around two million."
"Holy crap!" Xiao Peng cursed. "What the hell? Drunk driving is illegal, right? How come the trash can is the target of blame? Is this even legal?"
"Of course they did. Those who can live in the La Ciotat Villas are all wealthy. They hired a very good lawyer, and in the end they actually ruled that the La Ciotat Villas were responsible for this incident and had to pay 20% of the civil compensation. The reason was that the community did not designate a fixed location for trash cans: come on, whose trash can is not placed on the sidewalk at the door? Whose trash can has been there for less than ten years? But in the end the court ruled like this, so the former community manager was fired and gave up his position." Pascal said.
Xiao Peng didn't know what to say.
Fabian laughed and said, "That's not even the most bizarre thing! What happened in Castellane Square a few years ago is really interesting."
After hearing this, Xiao Peng asked directly, "Huh? Castellane Square? Could it be related to the Chinese?"
Place Castellanet in Marseille is where Chinese people gather, with many Chinese restaurants and Chinese shops.
Fabian nodded. "A few years ago, a refugee stole two kitchen knives from a Chinese store there and went on a street robbery. When he encountered resistance, he hacked the victim to death with the knives. The victim's family sued the store, claiming that 'negligent management allowed the knives to be stolen and used as a tool in the crime,' and therefore held the store responsible for the murder. The court ruled that the store should pay 15% of the civil compensation."
"Did you succeed in the end?" Xiao Peng widened his eyes.
Fabian nodded. "They succeeded. The court ordered the supermarket to pay compensation."
"Poof!" Xiao Peng completely vomited.
Fabian said, "Later, someone supported the Chinese supermarket in filing an appeal. He found a good lawyer for the supermarket and sued the court. If the supermarket is responsible for killing someone with a stolen kitchen knife, then the knife factory, the wholesale middlemen, and even the upstream steel mills and the entire supply chain must also be held responsible. Even government management agencies must bear responsibility, after all, they also have regulatory responsibilities!"
Xiao Peng felt as if he was listening to a book from heaven. The world is so big and full of wonders. "Then what should I do now?"
"What to do? Sleep!" said Pascal.
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