Eleven households living on a building’s third to 11th floors have been ordered to pay a man a total of more than 8,000 yuan (US$1,160) for repairs to his car after it was damaged by a falling curtain rod, Changning District People’s Court said yesterday.

Yao parked his Mercedes near a 11-story building in a residential community in Changning District on March 28 last year. On his return the security guard told him his car had been damaged.

A curtain rod, 2.6 meters in length, had fallen from one of the apartments, damaging the windshield and hood. Yao called the police but officers could not determine who was the owner of the rod.

Yao took five households from the seventh floor and above to the district court in October last year, demanding compensation of 12,973 yuan for his car repairs.

A court investigation found the rod may have fallen from as low as the third floor.

The court brought another 13 households into the proceedings, making the total number 18.

During the litigation, five households reached out-of-court settlements with Yao and another provided evidence to show that they had nothing to do with the incident.

Yao chose not pursue his claim with another, leaving 11 households. Each was ordered to pay him 763 yuan.