Husband Denied House After Wife's Affair Due to Delayed Claim

A man in Taiwan has lost a legal battle to reclaim a house after discovering his wife's affair, as the property's land title was registered solely in her name. The couple divorced following the wife's infidelity, and she subsequently expelled her husband from the home.

The husband argued that his wife's affair constituted unjust enrichment and that the property, which he claimed to have partially funded through a loan from his parents, should be fully transferred to him. He stated that he had learned of the property's sale through his father-in-law and, after contributing NT$2.5 million while his wife provided NT$500,000, the land was registered entirely under her name, with the building's ownership split equally. He claimed his father-in-law told him the registration could not be changed due to procedural complexities.

However, the court dismissed his claim. Judges noted that the husband had been aware for over 20 years that the land title was not fully transferred to him but had not actively pursued his rights. His explanation that the father-in-law stated it couldn't be changed was deemed insufficient given the significant financial implications. The court also pointed out that the husband was not a creditor of his wife, thus lacking the legal standing to file a revocation claim under Article 244 of the Civil Code, which allows creditors to challenge fraudulent property transfers. Consequently, the court ruled in favor of the wife, denying the husband's claim to the property.