Never Married, He Cared for His Late Girlfriend's Mother to the End. Then a Niece Sued for Her 5 Million Yuan

On October 15 the Hubei Provincial High People's Court released eight model inheritance cases involving older people. One of them, about a "son-in-law" who never married into the family, went viral on Chinese social media.

## Three people, one home, more than ten years

According to the Legal Daily (法治日报), a woman surnamed Xie had one daughter, Lin. Lin and her partner Chen never registered a marriage, but the three lived together for more than a decade. In 2021 Lin died of illness, leaving Xie without close family.

## A contract, a notary, and years of care

In September 2021 Xie and Chen signed a legacy-support agreement: Chen would care for her for life and handle her funeral, and she would leave him a flat and its contents. In October they signed and notarised a gift contract covering two more flats, with Chen paying her living and medical costs. He looked after her, paid for treatment and hired carers. Xie died in February 2023 and Chen arranged the funeral.

## The niece's lawsuit

Xie's niece, surnamed Zheng, sued to inherit property, cash and shares worth about 5 million yuan, arguing that she had visited and cared for Xie, and that Chen was only a self-described boyfriend who had never married Lin and wanted the money.

## The ruling

The Wuchang District court, citing the agreements, the notarial certificate and video recorded at signing, found they reflected Xie's genuine wishes and were valid. Because Chen had actually fulfilled his duties, the estate passes under the agreement, and Zheng's claim was rejected. The court noted that a legacy-support agreement takes priority over both statutory and will-based inheritance. Reports add that Chen is over 70.

*Summarised from the Hubei High Court's model case and Legal Daily reporting; all names are surnames as published.*