The Supreme People’s Court has rejected an appeal from an inmate seeking higher compensation after he contracted HIV while serving a prison sentence, The Beijing News reported Thursday.

Zhao Ronghui, who is paralyzed below the waist, has been serving a sentence for robbery and attempted murder since 2008 at Siping Prison in the northeastern Jilin province. He claims to have contracted the virus while staying in the prison’s hospital ward in 2011 from another HIV-positive inmate who came to his room to “chat, play chess, and help him use the toilet,” according to The Beijing News.

Zhao sued Siping Prison in 2012 and was offered 100,000 yuan ($14,300) in compensation, according to the news outlet. Unhappy with that amount, Zhao appealed to China’s Supreme Court, requesting 8 million yuan in damages.

The Supreme People’s Court ruled against Zhao’s appeal on Tuesday, saying his legal claim against the prison — “psychological damage” with “severe consequences” — did not justify such a high compensation claim. (Image: IC)