According to the news from our newspaper (reported by Jia Sun), due to her husband leaving the house to his nephew Zhang and his wife before her death, Li, the former general manager of Bank of China Singapore Branch who is now 84 years old, has been involved in an inheritance dispute. Yesterday, it was learned that the First Intermediate People's Court of the city announced that the house belongs to Li, but he must pay more than 23 million yuan as compensation to Mr. Zhang and his wife.
Li and his late wife Hu purchased a house from the head office of the Bank of China. In November 2008, Hu passed away after being diagnosed with liver cancer, leaving a will that bequeathed her property to her nephew Zhang and his wife Xing. After handling the transfer of deposits and stocks worth over 1 million yuan, disputes arose between Zhang’s couple and Li regarding the division of the house, which eventually led them to court. Zhang's couple said that since Li and Hu had no children and were plagued by illness in their later years, they had been taking care of the two elders since 1985. Out of gratitude, Hu wrote a will before her death. Li acknowledged the meticulous care provided by Zhang's couple but claimed that there were two nannies taking care of him, and questioned the authenticity of the will. He stated that Hu was not in a state of mind to write a will before her death and emphasized the deep affection between him and his wife, pointing out that his wife would not disregard his future life. Li was unwilling to sell the house or pay money, while Zhang's couple only wanted to settle the matter quickly for monetary compensation. Unable to reach a reconciliation, the court ultimately ruled that the house belonged to Li, and Li should compensate the other party with over 23 million yuan. The judgment noted that "as for whether Li has sufficient economic capacity to fulfill the effective judgment and how the judgment will be enforced, the court will carefully handle and properly resolve these issues during the enforcement process."
>> Judge's Explanation
The Judgment Leaves Room for Both Parties to Reconcile
Reporter: Hu's house is a joint property of the couple. Should Zhang's couple wait until after Li's death to claim the inheritance?
Judge: As long as the will is valid, legally speaking, it must be executed accordingly. There is no such statement in Hu's will like "Zhang's couple need to wait until after Li's death to assert their rights." Therefore, from a legal perspective, Zhang's couple does not have to wait until after Li's death to divide the house.
Reporter: The judgment mentions proper enforcement, which is quite rare. What does it signify?
Judge: From a legal standpoint, the court must make such a judgment. However, from a moral standpoint, it indeed could affect Li's life. Therefore, the judge hinted that both parties might encounter difficulties in enforcing this judgment, hoping to give both sides another chance to reconcile after entering the enforcement phase. Through the mediation of the enforcement judge, both parties may reach a new agreement and not execute the original judgment. The judge hopes that Zhang's couple can understand the elder's situation, and the elder can also make concessions and offer as much money as possible.
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