- A man in
China has sued his former stepson to recover some of the money he spent to raise him. - The man, surnamed Tang, demanded his former stepson Liu pay 35,200 yuan ($5,285), per Shanhai
news .
A few months after getting divorced, a man in China decided to sue his former stepson to recover some of the money he spent on raising him.
According to the Chinese media outlet Shanhai, the man, surnamed Tang, demanded that his former stepson Liu cough up 35,200 yuan ($5,285) as compensation for the "living expenses" incurred during his time at university. The money covered room and board over four years, the outlet reported on Tuesday.
Tang married Liu's mother in 2009, when the boy was 10 years old. Mr. Tang helped raise the child until September 2021, when his wife filed for a divorce, per the outlet. Tang then took legal action against his former stepson about three months after separating from his ex-wife.
The case sparked wide debate on social media, with the hashtag "stepfather asks stepson for 30,000 yuan living expenses after divorce" getting more than 150 million views on the Twitter-like platform Weibo.
Many people were appalled at Tang's decision to sue Liu.
"Even after raising the kid for 10 years, it doesn't seem like he ever treated him like a son. That's so sad," one Weibo user commented.
Last month, a local court in the city of Chongqing denied Tang's request, ruling that the expenses were willingly paid, per South China Morning Post.
"Tang chose to support Liu, despite knowing he didn't have a legal responsibility to pay for his university study as Liu had reached 18 years of age. In China, children are legally adults once 18, and parents are no longer expected to cover their living expenses," the presiding court judge said, per the outlet.