A Chinese woman was left stunned after discovering that her late husband had secretly engaged in a long-term affair and had transferred a substantial amount of money to his mistress.
The discovery came
to light after his husband’s death and prompted the cheated-on wife to initiate a lawsuit to reclaim the money, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
Case Background
The woman from Shanghai, surnamed Shen, married her husband Jin in July 1999. Over the course of more than two decades of marriage, the pair had two children – a son and a daughter. Jin died in May 2022, concluding a marriage to Shen that had lasted over 20 years. However, the specific ages of the couple have remained undisclosed to the public.
The Discovery
While sorting through Jin’s belongings after his passing, Shen discovered evidence that he had been in a long-term affair with a woman surnamed Tao since 2015. Over the period of seven years, Jin had secretly transferred more than 19 million yuan (over Rs 25 crore) to Tao.
A Lawsuit Against Tao
Following the discovery of the large transfers, Shen and her children sued Tao to invalidate the gifts and demand that she return the amount. In the initial proceedings, a court declared that Tao was required to refund the money and that Jin’s unilateral choice to give such a substantial sum of marital assets to someone else was invalid.
The court ordered Tao to refund the remaining 14 million yuan (US$2 million) to Shen after deducting 5.4 million yuan (US$770,000) that she had already transferred back to Jin.
Appeal Rejected By Higher Court
Tao filed an appeal, but the Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court rejected it and maintained the original judgment.
The court concluded that since Jin and Tao were in an extramarital affair, the gifts infringed upon Shen’s financial rights. According to the SCMP report, it further said that such actions also violated public morals and social ethics.
Mistress Sues Woman Who Refused To Divorce Husband
In Shishi, Fujian province, a mistress surnamed Shi sued her lover’s wife, Yang, for the return of 1.2 million yuan ($165,000). Shi had paid this amount as a “divorce fee” in an attempt to convince Yang to leave her husband. The court rejected the mistress’ petition, ruling that her payment violated societal moral standards and public order because it was intended to disrupt a lawful marriage.
