The Hsinchu District Court has granted a divorce over a wife’s habit of hoarding and other obsessive-compulsive disorders.
The husband, surnamed Chen (陳), who has retired from a tech company, told the court they were married for more than 55 years, but soon after they were married, his wife, surnamed Chang (張), accused him of squandering money and having affairs with other women, while doctors had diagnosed her as suffering from depression and compulsion disorders.
In his testimony, Chen said he tolerated the wife’s accusations and mental instability, and gave her his monthly salary to manage.
Photo: Taipei Times files
Chang said that despite his patience, she imposed strict controls on utility use at home, turning off the main water supply and prohibiting him from showering, adding that she also banned the family from turning on the air-conditioning and electric fans during summer.
Chen said that his wife has a hoarding habit and other compulsion conditions where she accumulates things at home and refuses to throw them out, to the extent that her hoardings fills up all the rooms and walkways, leaving no room to sit at home.
After many years of putting up with this situation, Chen said he decided that he could no longer tolerate it so he filed for divorce.
In her testimony, Chang said she was poor during her childhood and learned to value every little item. She admitted to accumulating items for many years and that their home had things piled up everywhere, adding that she knew it was not proper behavior, and had tried to cut down on collecting things.
The couple’s daughter testified that despite her father being the breadwinner for the family, her mother had for many years beaten her father, adding that Chen was afraid of losing face and did not ask for outside help.
The court decided that the marriage had eroded beyond repair, lacking mutual love, trust and care.
Commenting on the case, Hsuan Chuang University assistant law professor Chien Ping-tsun (錢炳村) said Article 105 of the Civil Code (民法) states that when a couple has “major reasons” for being unable to maintain their union, both sides have the right to seek a divorce, although the law does not define exactly what constitutes “major reasons.”
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