Father’s Garden Night Market Profits Spark Inheritance Dispute, Daughter’s Recording Turns the Case

A recording in which an elderly father calmly coached his daughters on how to pursue a property dispute has overturned a ruling that invalidated his gift of Garden Night Market profits.

The man had transferred shares linked to Tainan’s Garden Night Market to his two unmarried daughters, while requiring them to pay him NT$10,000 a month for living expenses. The shares had previously been registered under the name of his in-laws. After the father-in-law died, his son-in-law, surnamed Lin, took control of them.

The daughters later sought six months of profits, totaling NT$475,000, but Lin refused to pay. He argued that their father had Alzheimer’s disease and lacked the capacity to make the agreement. A lower court examined video of the signing and noted that the man could not identify the date. A hospital assessment also said he could not understand a complex contract, so the court ruled the gift invalid.

The daughters appealed, arguing that the assessment had relied on statements from a younger sister who had already transferred their father’s property and expelled them, creating a serious inheritance conflict. They submitted a recording in which their father recognized that property had been transferred without permission and urged them to sue. He discussed the dispute coherently, predicted that the other side would hire a lawyer and claim that the daughters’ unmarried status and lack of children weakened their case, and directed them to seek legal advice from the city government.

A second hospital’s retrospective review of his medical records found that his dementia score had remained stable when he signed the agreement and that he had not lost his decision-making ability. The appellate judges concluded that his detailed discussion of ownership and litigation strategy showed he was neither unconscious nor mentally confused. They upheld the gift contract and ordered Lin to pay both daughters the full amount.