Taiwanese wife traps husband's mistress with text message, wins damages

A woman in Taiwan successfully used a clever text message trap to prove her husband's mistress knew he was married, securing a significant payout in a lawsuit. The wife, identified as Ms. Chen, discovered her husband, a real estate agent, was having an affair with a female employee. After divorcing him, she sued both parties for NT$1 million (US$30,600) in emotional damages.

The mistress, Ms. Zhang, initially claimed she was unaware of the husband's marital status. However, Ms. Chen anticipated this defense. She instructed her husband to text Ms. Zhang, stating, "Just to let you know~ I still have a family, wife, and children. Your conversation with me has made my wife a bit suspicious."

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Just to let you know~ I still have a family, wife, and children. Your conversation with me has made my wife a bit suspicious.

Ms. Zhang's reply, "Sorry, sorry, okay boss, I'll be more careful in the future," proved crucial. A judge in the Hsinchu District Court found that Ms. Zhang's lack of surprise at the message indicated she was already aware of the husband's marriage. The court noted that the husband had publicly posted about his marriage and child on Facebook since 2019, and his family even participated in his company's travel events.

Ultimately, the court ordered Ms. Zhang and the husband to jointly pay Ms. Chen NT$300,000 (US$9,200) in damages. The ruling highlighted that Ms. Zhang, having interacted frequently with the husband, should have been aware of his marital status or had a high probability of knowing it.

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Sorry, sorry, okay boss, I'll be more careful in the future.