The case, heard in the Jianghan District Court in central China's Hubei Province, is believed to be the first time a Chinese court has ruled in favor of a plaintiff in a sexual harassment suit.

The court found that the woman, surnamed He, had been sexually harassed by her ex-boss, surnamed Sheng.

Sheng was ordered to apologize and pay 2,000 yuan (US$241.84) as compensation for psychological harm.

He, a married teacher at a business school in Wuhan, sued Sheng last July, accusing him of sexually harassing her since the latter half of 2000.

Sheng denied the charge. Sheng was the deputy head of the teaching and research section but was dismissed due to "improper behavior" before the lawsuit.

Sheng appealed to the Intermediate Court of Wuhan City after the sentence.

Tang Jiangtao, He's lawyer, claimed the lawsuit was the first case of sexual harassment in China that the plaintiff had won.

(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2003)