'Efforts not rewarded': China grandma sues daughter and son-in-law for $36k after raising their son for 5 years

Grandparents often care for their grandchildren, but should they be paid for doing so? 

A woman in China recently filed a lawsuit against her daughter and son-in-law, demanding 192,000 yuan (S$36,000) in childcare fees from the couple.

The woman, surnamed Duan, had raised their son in her Sichuan home for five years, Chinese media reported on Thursday (Oct 5).

Her daughter and son-in-law had moved to Chengdu in 2018 for work and left their son under her care ever since.

According to the South China Morning Post, Duan received a monthly stipend of 1,000 yuan and a childcare fee of 2,000 yuan.

In July, however, Duan decided that her "efforts were not rewarded" and asked the couple to pay her 192,000 yuan.

Duan's daughter found the request unreasonable, and offered to pay her 50,000 yuan instead. Her son-in-law didn't know about this new agreement they had made.

But her daughter did not keep her end of the bargain, leading Duan to sue to the couple. 

The court found that Duan had no legal obligations to take care of her grandson and ordered the couple to pay her a childcare fee. But the court reduced the sum to 82,500 yuan, as it found that the amount that Duan had demanded was too high. 

There also appears to be other reasons behind the court case.

According to Duan's son-in-law, Duan sued for the childcare fee because the couple were getting a divorce. 

"The person she wants to sue is me," he said.

Duan's story sparked online debate in China, with many siding with the woman in her decision to sue the couple, SCMP reported. 

A user commented: "The compensation she requests is right."

Another netizen described Duan as wise, saying: "Her purpose is to protect and fight for her daughter".

ALSO READ: China grandma sues son and daughter-in-law for $27k in child support, netizens can't pick a side

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com