The man asked his stepson nearly $ 6,000 for raising him.
Chinese social media is in turmoil over the recent controversial story of a man suing his stepson after divorcing his mother, asking for a fee for raising him.
A few months after he divorced his wife, a man from the Chongqing Municipality surnamed Tang took stepson Liu to court and demanded 35,200 yuan (about $ 5,285) as compensation for the money spent raising him during the marriage.
According to local media, Tang married Liu’s mother in 2009 when the boy was 10 and helped him grow until 2021when the woman filed for divorce.
About three months after the separation, Tang filed a lawsuit against her stepson, who is already 22, demanding more than 30,000 yuan in compensation for living expenses.
The peculiar legal controversy caused outrage among millions of people afterwards a video of the trial went viral on Chinese Twitter, Sina Weibo.
At the trial, the man sought compensation for helping with child support.
Most of those who commented accused Tang of take revenge on the stepson after his marriage broke down, and he never took care of him the way a father should.
“Tang started helping to raise Liu after marrying Liu’s mother. Now Tang wants his money back, this sounds more like a fit of anger after his marriage fails, “one person wrote.
“Even after raising the child for 10 years, it seems she never treated him like a son. It’s very sad, “commented another user.
Some wondered whether, according to Tang’s logic, it would be reasonable for his ex-wife to seek compensation psychological suffering which he “probably endured during his marriage”.
The event, however, had an ending that left everyone happy, everyone except Tang, because a local Chongqing court refused the man’s request and ruled that the expenses for which he sought compensation had been paid voluntarily.
“Tang decided to support Liu, despite knowing it he had no legal responsibility to pay for his university studies, since Liu was 18 years old, ”said the president of the court.
“In China, children are legally of age once they turn 18 and parents no longer have to cover maintenance costs,” concluded the magistrate.
Source: Clarin
