On July 14, the case of Shanghai petitioner Fu Yuxia, who accused security personnel at the New York consulate of intentionally assaulting her, causing injuries, and filing a claim, continued to be heard in the civil court of the New York State Supreme Court in the Queens district. Two witnesses, Ma Zhisen and Ge Lifang, appeared in court and faced questioning from both the plaintiff’s and defendant’s lawyers in front of the jury.
The plaintiff in the case is Fu Yuxia, and the defendants are Samuel Parkinson, a security personnel at the New York consulate, and the security company Epic Security, Inc. It was nine years after Fu Yuxia filed the claim that the case entered the trial process on July 3. The judge announced that the jury’s responsibility was to determine whether the actions of the consulate’s security personnel were justified, intentional, and aggressive.
In the lawsuit filed by Fu Yuxia on June 24, 2016, she stated that on July 1, 2014, after finishing a peaceful protest across from the consulate with friends, as they were walking on the sidewalk in front of the consulate, Samuel Parkinson, the consulate’s security personnel, wielded a baton and forcefully pushed her from behind, causing her to fall and injure her shoulder and neck. Several people witnessed the incident, called the police, and the defendant was arrested and charged with third-degree assault and second-degree harassment. Fu Yuxia later underwent shoulder and neck surgery and continued medical treatment, making her unable to work. On March 7, 2016, when she visited the consulate for official matters, Parkinson recognized her and again pushed her, exacerbating her injuries.
The plaintiff argued that the defendant Parkinson’s actions constituted an attack and assault, and the security company was negligent in hiring/supervising/retaining employees, thus sharing liability and demanded compensation exceeding the compensation cap in the lower court.
In court, Fu Yuxia’s lawyer played a video from July 1, 2014, outside the New York consulate showing four Shanghai petitioners – Fu Yuxia, Ge Lifang, Ma Zhisen, and Cai Wenjun – chanting slogans as they crossed the street after a protest against the Chinese Communist Party’s seizure of their property. The lead protester shouted, “The Chinese Communist Party is a robber! Return the property stolen by the Chinese Communist Party to us! Give back our homes! Give back our property!”
During questioning, Ma Zhisen stated that the security personnel, Parkinson, had made contact with him three times with the baton, exerting significant force, nearly causing him to fall and experiencing bodily pain. He then saw Fu Yuxia fall to the ground, with the consulate security’s baton making contact with her body.
When asked about the force of the baton by the security personnel at the time, Ma Zhisen, who had worked as a mechanic, described it as being as heavy as 60 pounds.
Ge Lifang then underwent questioning and confirmed that she was the one leading the chants at the time.
The trial will continue on July 15.