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China mother sues daughter to reclaim $680,000 given for quitting job to provide care
A Chinese mother sued her daughter to reclaim 4.8m yuan she gave as care compensation, after disputes over unpaid rent led to a court battle.
A bitter family feud in China has drawn public attention after a mother sued her daughter to reclaim nearly five million yuan that she had previously given as compensation for quitting her job to care for her. The Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court recently ruled in favour of the mother, ordering the daughter to return the money.
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Agreement between mother and daughter
As per a report South China Morning Post (SCMP), the dispute originated in 2021 when the mother, surnamed Jin, faced health issues and requested her daughter, surnamed Lu, to leave her job in Guangzhou and return to Beijing. Although details about Lu’s employment and salary were not disclosed, the arrangement was meant to secure her mother’s care.
To compensate her daughter, Jin transferred 4.9 million yuan (US$680,000) from the sale of her two-bedroom flat in Beijing’s Xisanqi area. On 21 December 2023, the two signed a written agreement that obliged Lu to cover all elder care costs, including medical treatment, rent, living expenses, and even funeral arrangements.
Lu accepted the funds and later used them to buy her own property.
Dispute over rent payments
According to SCMP, Lu cared for her mother for almost four years. However, problems arose when Jin, after spending five months in a nursing home where Lu paid 200,000 yuan in fees, sought to move into a rented flat in Beijing’s Shangzhuang area.
Jin accused her daughter of failing to pay the rent for the second and third quarters of the Shangzhuang property. Lu argued that she had already covered nursing home costs and therefore should not be held responsible for additional payments.
Legal proceedings
Feeling neglected, Jin filed a lawsuit asking the court to cancel the original agreement and demanding the return of the money. She alleged that her daughter had failed to fulfil her obligations and presented WeChat chat records to support her claims.
In her defence, Lu said she had been providing food, clothing, medical expenses, and had even hired carers. She added that she had previously paid rent for another property in Shijingshan between July 2021 and July 2023.
Court ruling
The first trial annulled the contract and ordered Lu to repay her mother. While the original amount was 4.9 million yuan, Jin later clarified it was 4.8 million yuan. The Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court upheld the ruling on appeal, confirming that Lu must return 4.8 million yuan to her mother.
