10-Year-Old Boy Sues Father in China to Recover Savings Spent on Second Wedding

Zhengzhou. A 10-year-old boy in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, Xiaohui, has successfully sued his own father in court to reclaim his savings.

The dispute reached the legal arena after the father spent all the money in his son's bank account on his second marriage without the boy's consent. This incident has sparked a major debate on Chinese social media.

Two years ago, after his parents divorced, Xiaohui began living with his father. The father had opened a bank account in the boy's name where money received from red envelopes during the New Year and other savings were deposited. However, some time ago, the father decided to marry another woman and sent the boy to live with his mother.

After the son moved to his mother's, it was revealed that the father had withdrawn over 80,000 yuan from the child's account and used it for his wedding banquet and other expenses. When Xiaohui demanded his money back, his father evaded, saying, "This money was given by family and friends; I will only give it to you when you are older." After repeated attempts failed, the boy filed a lawsuit in court, naming his own father as the defendant.

In court, the father argued that as the child's guardian, he should have the right to use the funds, and claimed the lawsuit was instigated by the ex-wife. However, the court rejected the father's arguments. The court ruled that money received as gifts is legally the private property of the child, and the father, even as a guardian, does not have the right to interfere with his son's assets.

The court ordered the father to return the boy's entire savings plus interest, totaling 82,750 yuan.