TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A man surnamed Li (李) in Kaohsiung was taken to court by the manager of a convenience store for adding hot water to a pot of tea eggs using his personal mug.

After the incident, which happened in early May 2022 during a spike in COVID-19 cases, the general manager of the store filed a lawsuit against Li demanding NT$1 million (US$31,000) in damages. The manager claimed that Li’s actions had damaged the reputation and business of the store, reports UDN.

In May, Li, a regular customer at the convenience store, saw that the tea in a pot of tea eggs had almost dried up. In an attempt to help solve the problem, Li used his own mug to add hot water, which was available in the store, to the pot of tea eggs.

When a clerk saw what he was doing, he was immediately told to stop. The batch of approximately 60 tea eggs was thrown out because the store could not confirm whether Li’s cup might pose a hazard to other customers. LTN reports that several customers were in the store at the time and witnessed the scene.

After the manager was informed of Li’s actions, he decided to file a lawsuit demanding NT$1 million for alleged damages to the reputation of the business, as well as NT$600 (US$19), the estimated value of the tea eggs that were discarded as a result of Li’s actions.

In the end, the court ruled against the store manager. They noted that the clerk had responded appropriately, and called for Li to reimburse the store NT$600 for the batch of ruined tea eggs.