Woman in China bans daughter from attending ex-husband’s funeral but demands part of US$133,000 death payout from ex-in-laws
- The woman told her former in-laws their granddaughter could not go to her father’s funeral because of too much homework
- Later, she appeared on their doorstep with her daughter demanding money when she heard they received a payout for their son’s death
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Liya Su in Shanghai
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Published: 2:00pm, 14 Jun, 2023
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The dispute wound up in a local court which ordered the dead ex-husband’s parents to give US$28,000 from the accident payout to Zhang, who would keep it on behalf of her daughter. Photo: SCMP composite
A woman in China who barred her daughter from attending her ex-husband’s funeral and then used the girl to demand money from her former in-laws faces social media backlash.
After refusing to let her daughter go to the funeral, the woman, surnamed Zhang, showed up at her former in-laws’ home after learning they had received an insurance payout of 943,000 yuan (US$133,000) for the death of their son.
Zhang, who is from Henan province in central China, and her ex-husband, surnamed Wang, divorced some years ago, with custody of their daughter given to Zhang, who has since remarried.
Wang died in August last year in a traffic accident, leaving his parents devastated.
When they asked Zhang to allow their granddaughter to attend her father’s funeral, she refused, claiming the girl, who is in primary school, could not attend due to too much homework.
After negotiations with the insurance company of the driver who caused the accident that killed Wang, his parents accepted an out-of-court settlement. Photo: Shutterstock
“Her study is more important,” Zhang reportedly said.
After laying their son to rest, Wang’s parents sought compensation from the driver responsible for the accident that killed their son. They negotiated with the driver and his insurance company out of court and agreed to accept 943,000 yuan.
They were shocked when Zhang appeared at their door with their granddaughter in tow, demanding a third of the death payout, about 273,000 yuan (US$38,000).
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The couple refused to pay Zhang.
The reports did not mention the dates for Wang’s death or funeral, but this month, the final court settlement appeared in local media. Photo: Shutterstock
The dispute wound up in a local court which ordered Wang’s parents to give 200,000 yuan from the payout to Zhang and allow her to keep it on behalf of their granddaughter.
The story has sparked heated criticism online in China.
One person said: “The former wife is vicious.”
Another person added: “She must have figured out a plan to spend that money.”
“She doesn’t deserve that amount of money,” one person said.
