Court confirms final ruling in teenage millionaire inheritance case

Taipei, Oct. 12 (CNA) A Taiwanese court confirmed Sunday its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai's NT$500 million (US$16.9 million) estate.

The Taichung District Court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgment after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final.

In the June ruling, the court noted that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed "no mutual admiration before the marriage" and that their interactions were "distant and unfamiliar."

The judge concluded that the couple lacked the "true intention of establishing a permanent union" and that the marriage did not meet the essential requirements for legality.

Lai died on May 4, 2023, after falling from the balcony of Hsia's 10th-floor apartment just two hours after registering the marriage. The Taichung District Prosecutors Office found insufficient evidence to charge Hsia with murder, as there were no signs of trauma, poison, or alcohol in Lai's body.

Hsia was instead sentenced to 18 months in prison in June 2024 for forging documents related to the marriage registration. He began serving his sentence in February 2025 and, due to good behavior, was transferred to a minimum-security facility last month to complete his term.

Lai's mother had filed the civil suit to formally annul the marriage, which has now been legally confirmed.