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A mental health patient has filed a lawsuit against Chris Wat Wing-yin -- a columnist for the online news outlet Speakout HK -- as well as Google for a video he claimed has spread discriminatory content and fueled hatred against mental health patients.
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The plaintiff, surnamed Tung and not represented by an attorney, is seeking a public apology from the defendants and HK$500,000 in compensation each for some 300,000 mental health patients, totaling HK$150 billion.
He also requested a public apology from the three defendants, including Speakout HK, along with a clarification that individuals with mental illness are not violent. Additionally, he called for the removal of the video.
Wat posted a YouTube video on September 24 last year, discussing the incident of a man with schizophrenia being shot by police after attacking his family and referencing a kindergarten stabbing case 42 years ago.
The video was later reposted by Speakout HK, which the plaintiff believed has incited hatred against individuals with mental health issues.
After receiving no response to his request to remove the video from YouTube, Tung filed a lawsuit against Wat, Speakout HK, and Google for violating the Disability Discrimination Ordinance.
The court held the first hearing on Monday. Tung said he was suffering from severe anxiety disorder and depression, which resulted in damage to his hippocampus.
Following a consultation with his doctor, Tung noted that his current mental state has prevented him from opening or reading the court's and the defendant's legal documents. The case has since been adjourned to May upon the plaintiff's request.
The plaintiff has applied for AI usage in his hearings to aid his response in court, where he can transcribe voice recordings into texts.
Judge Gary Lam Chin-ching took the plaintiff's conditions into consideration and declared that the hearing would commence in a letter format. The final judgment will be announced on January 17 of next year.
