Recently, a complex statutory inheritance and family property division dispute case, in which the defendant was represented by the Family Law Team led by Lawyer Wang Junling of Link & King Law Firm, concluded with a favorable court ruling after trial by the People's Court.
This case is a typical inheritance dispute arising from a discrepancy between the actual ownership of real estate and the registered rights holder due to "nominee registration." The core dispute in this case revolves around a property subject to such "nominee registration."
The claimants are the three siblings of the defendant’s deceased wife. Relying on the fact that the property was registered under the name of the defendant during his marriage, they claimed that the property should be divided as marital joint property and estate. At the outset, given the clear appearance of the real estate registration, the judge initially deemed this a straightforward statutory succession case, leaned in favour of the three claimants, and applied the summary procedure. However, after being retained by the defendant, Attorney Wang’s team conducted an in-depth review of the case materials and discovered far more complex legal facts underlying the registration record.
Faced with the strong legal principle that real estate registration carries the publicity effect of real rights, Attorney Wang’s team forged ahead and focused on building a complete, self-contained chain of evidence capable of fully reconstructing the true facts. During the hearing, the team submitted a series of key documents to the court, including but not limited to: the Property Transfer Agreement, Real Estate Sales Contract, Public Housing Leasehold Transfer Contract, Resettlement Agreement for Demolition, years of bank transaction records, and testimony from key witnesses. The evidence clearly proved that the property was subject to nominee registration, and the defendant’s actual payment for the purchase was made after his wife’s death. Supported by thorough evidence and rigorous legal analysis, the judge converted the case from summary procedure to ordinary procedure.
It was the substantial evidence submission and detailed legal reasoning by Attorney Wang’s team that brought about a critical shift in the proceedings. Recognising the complexity of the matter, the court lawfully converted the case from summary procedure to ordinary procedure. Ultimately, the trial judge expressly adopted the defendant’s core arguments in the judgment, confirming that the subject property did not constitute part of the estate and dismissing all claims of the claimants.
This victory fully demonstrates our firm’s outstanding expertise in handling complex family and property disputes. Against an ostensibly unfavourable starting position, the legal team, with solid legal knowledge, meticulous evidence organisation and precise litigation strategy, successfully pierced the veneer of real estate registration, restored the objective facts, and secured a favourable outcome for the client.
