Woman told to return lover’s gift of US$560,000 to his wife after Chinese court ruled illicit affair not recognised by law
- The wife of a man having an affair with another woman, with whom he fathered a child, has sued for the return of money he gave the woman
- The man’s girlfriend said she is also a victim as the man had lied to her that he was already divorced
A Chinese court has ordered the girlfriend of a married man return 3.79 million yuan (US$560,000) he gave her over 14 years to his legal wife, because the affair is “against public customs”.
The case has garnered significant attention in China where it is rare for a woman to reclaim assets given to other partners due to a lack of evidence or knowledge of their legal rights.
According to documents released by the People’s Court of Zhuanghe in Liaoning, northeastern China, a woman, surnamed Li, sued another woman identified by the pseudonym Xiaoxia, seeking the return of 3.79 million yuan Li’s husband had given to the woman since 2008.
Li and her husband, surnamed Wang, have been married since 1991. Wang’s extramarital affair came to Li’s attention two years ago when she discovered he had been sending money to Xiaoxia, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported.
Wang admitted his relationship with the woman and revealed that they have a 10-year-old son. In addition to cash payments, he also bought properties and a car for her.
Xiaoxia told the court she is also a victim and that Wang had lied to her that he was divorced. She said she urged him to marry her and have the union registered officially, but said he kept delaying by using various excuses.