For some, the saying “age is just a number” is a way of showing that regardless of someone’s age, they have value to bring in life. One man took the phrase a little too literally after falling in love with an eight-year-old girl and ended up suing her mother.
It all began when a 32-year-old man known as Chu was working as a kindergarten teacher and noticed one of his students, Chi, then 8 years old. After “falling in love” with her, he then approached her mother and they came to an agreement to allow him to marry her once she grew up.
Over time, the man supported the girl financially, paying for her tuition and living expenses, as well as paying off the mother’s outstanding debts. Including outings with the girl, it is estimated he spent around 900,000 NTD ($28,686 USD).
Chu and Chi.
After nine years, the man stumbled upon the girl’s Facebook profile, discovering the now 17-year-old was already married and had a baby with another man around her age.
Angered by his discovery, he took Chi’s mother to court for fraud in hopes of getting the money he spent back.
The court ruled that the original marriage contract, which was only a verbal agreement, went against “public morals” and was not valid from the start. Chi’s mother was also illiterate and the contract’s authenticity was questioned, especially since it was created in 2012, after Chi’s marriage to the man.
Your browser does not support video.News coverage showing the “contract.”
The man’s claim of fraud was rejected due to this ruling, though he continued to fight the case afterward. However, no resolution was reached and Chu ended up with the outcome he didn’t want.