Tenant's cancer death case goes to court

A court in Hangzhou is set to hear a case alleging an Alibaba employee died of leukemia caused by excessive formaldehyde levels in his rented apartment.

An official with the city's Binjiang District People's Court confirmed on Monday that it has accepted the civil case brought by the man's wife, saying a hearing will be held on Sept 27.

The employee, surnamed Wang, left Beijing to work with Alibaba in Hangzhou in late April and signed a lease with rental apartment operator Ziroom, a smartphone app that helps arrange long-term rentals of furnished apartments.