TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A civil court in Taichung has ruled that a 21-year-old man, who pursued a married woman which led to her divorce, must pay the aggrieved ex-husband NT$300,000 (US$9,400) in damages.

The 21-year-old man, surnamed Lin (林), began pursuing the older woman, surnamed Yu (余), in 2021, despite the fact that she had been married for almost ten years, with two children. The relationship between Lin and Yu developed into a sexual one around February 2022, reports UDN.

After Yu’s husband became aware of her infidelity, he initially forgave her and hoped to repair their relationship for the sake of their family. However, Lin did not give up his pursuit of Yu, and their sexual relations did not end.

The husband divorced Yu in May of this year and filed a civil lawsuit against Lin demanding NT$800,000 (US$25,000) in damages. In response, Lin admitted to the actions in the complaint filed by Yu’s ex-husband, but said the requested amount was too high. He made a counteroffer of NT$100,000 and issued an apology to the man.

In the end, the court noted that although Lin was young, had acted impulsively, and was only in the relationship with Yu for a few months, it nonetheless recognized that he willfully and repeatedly acted to damage the marriage, even after he and Yu had initially agreed to end their relationship, thereby negatively impacting the well-being of the husband and children.

The ruling by the court for damages in the amount of NT$300,000 may be appealed by Lin, reports UDN.