69-year-old Chinese father sues daughters for not visiting him enough

A southeastern Chinese man is suing his three daughters for their lack of financial support and failure to visit him regularly. The grounds might sound far-fetched, but Yan Zhengyuan could win the case.

On May 1 Shanghai announced a new policy allowing parents to sue their adult children for not visiting them enough, according to the World Post.Refraining to comply with the court order could result in a blacklisted credit score, which could deny them the ability to open a bank account, acquire a mortgage, and even have a library card.

Three of Yan Zhengyuan’s five daughters who are being sued claim their father physically abused them and is guilty of favoring boys over girls, despite all his children being female, the Daily Mailreported.

Yang Liu, Zhengyuan’s daughter, says her father beat her in her office after she refused to give him the money he requested.

“When I was a few months pregnant, he pulled my hair and beat me,” said Yang Qing, one of the 69-year-old’s daughters, according to the Daily Mail.

Xiao Lu, Zhengyuan’s wife, reportedly admitted that her husband also beat her when they lived together.

Zhengyuan’s alleged violent temper is only partly what drove his fearful daughters away. The children claim their father expressed little interest in their personal life, like marriages, education and careers, the Daily Mail reported.

Zhengyuan responded to their arguments denying that he “abandoned” his daughters, but that he could have contributed more to his children.

The women provided copies of bank transfers proving they had in fact financially supported their father over the past 10 years.

“Even if he wins the case, he would lose our affection,” Yang Qing told the Daily Mail.

For now, the family has arranged a deal through mediation that the three daughters must visit their father twice a year and call him at least once a month.