Alex Nash is five years old. Like any other youngster, he was very excited to be invited to his friend’s sixth birthday party. His friend’s mum had arranged for the party to be spent at a ski slope and ski board centre. It was going to be great fun, there would be presents, games, and lots of birthday cake to eat.
However, Alex realised on the day of the party that his grandparents were leaving the next day for a long holiday. If he did not go to see them, he would not get his Christmas present. Nor would he see his grandparents again for quite a long time. He decided not to go to his friend’s party and chose to see his grandparents instead.
You may think there is nothing wrong with that. Christmas is an exciting time of year, especially if you are only five years old. However, when Alex returned to school early in January, his teacher gave him a letter and asked him to pass it on to his parents. Like most young children, Alex forgot and it was not until two weeks later that his parents found the envelope. Inside the envelope was a letter from the birthday boy’s mother demanding HK$185. The mother said this was the amount it had cost her for Alex’s place at the birthday party – the party Alex had decided not to attend.
At first, Alex’s parents thought that this was a joke. They contacted the mother and soon found out it was not. If they did not pay the money, the mother would take them to a small claims court.
Most small claims courts are filled every day with people arguing about who owes what to whom. A judge tries to resolve each matter in a just and fair way. This case is different though because it involves a decision made by a very young child. What do you think? Do you think Alex should pay for the unused ticket that had been purchased for him at the party?
The case has caught the attention of the media and has now been reported all over the world. It seems that everyone has an opinion. Some of the debates on newspaper web sites have become quite heated.
Here is a news report on this case:
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