Taiwan Court Rules in Infidelity Case, Ordering Compensation

A recent ruling in Taiwan sees a woman and her partner ordered to pay damages for an extramarital affair.

A court in Northern Taiwan has ruled in a case involving infidelity, ordering a woman, identified as 小珍 (Xiao Zhen), and her partner, 阿傑 (A-Jie), to jointly pay compensation to the woman's former husband. The husband had filed a lawsuit, alleging that his wife, Xiao Zhen, engaged in an extramarital affair with A-Jie. The couple reportedly traveled together, including two trips abroad, and Xiao Zhen sent messages to her husband admitting to the affair, including the statement, "If I still can't stop my relationship with A-Jie."

The husband initially sought NT$1 million (approximately USD 30,000) in damages. The court, after reviewing the evidence, including travel records and LINE message exchanges, determined that the affair had occurred. The court found that the couple's travel records and the timing of Xiao Zhen's admission of the affair correlated with their subsequent trips abroad. This led the court to believe the husband's claims were valid and should be credited. The judge ordered Xiao Zhen and A-Jie to pay NT$200,000 (approximately USD 6,000) in damages.

Xiao Zhen and A-Jie argued that the husband's evidence, such as electronic invoices and LINE chat screenshots, did not definitively prove they had engaged in intimate relations. They also claimed that online interactions and discussions shouldn't be equated to real-life actions. However, the court rejected these arguments, emphasizing the coinciding travel dates and the timing of Xiao Zhen's confession with their trips abroad.

Regarding Xiao Zhen's claims of domestic violence against her husband, the court stated that she did not provide sufficient evidence, and even if true, this did not justify her affair. The ruling is subject to appeal.