TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A woman in Banqiao accused her husband of neglecting the family for the sake of “pursuing Dharma and the empowerment of all living beings."

According to a United Daily News report, her husband’s dalliance with higher powers left her without recourse but to file for a divorce. The divorce document she submitted, however, contained the seals of her son and daughter as witnesses, though neither had given their consent.

Complicating matters, the husband turned monk, informed the court that the witnesses to his marriage were his mother and father-in-law, but neither had agreed to the wedding and neither had witnessed the marriage. Thus, he asked the court to rule the marriage invalid as it did not meet the minimum legal requirements.

The husband explained that he was duped into marriage because his cancer-stricken father wanted to see him get married while he was alive. He said his sense of filial piety had led to his marriage to a woman designated by his father.

However, after the marriage, the monk said his wife continued to reside in Banqiao with her children, exhibiting little emotion or feeling for him. The monk also claimed the marriage was further strained by his wife’s business debts incurred after the marriage, and that she even used him as the drawer to sign a large number of checks without his consent.

Due to the financial worries, he said he felt physically and mentally exhausted, so he asked for divorce, and the woman agreed.

During a Taoyuan District Court trial, the family’s two children stated that they did not stamp their seals on the divorce agreement, and they did not know that their mother was divorcing their stepfather.

The monk appealed to the Taiwan High Court Civil Appeals Division pleading the invalidity of the marriage due to the lack of witnesses, failing to meet legal requirements of Article 982 of the Civil Code.

After hearing from both parties, the Taiwan High Court ruled the first issue to decide was the validity of the original marriage. During the trial, the man's mother testified that he was illiterate and could not write his name, and that her son did not say that he was going to get married.

Furthermore, the woman's father testified that the marriage contract was given to him by his daughter, and that he had no previous knowledge of their relationship. He only saw his "son-in-law" after the marriage.

Since the couple could not provide more than two witnesses who testified about their intention to get married, the Taiwan High Court ultimately ruled that the marriage was invalid, and there was no need to discuss subsequent legal actions, though the case is still subject to appeal.