A woman in Taiwan has divorced her husband because he was reading her text messages but not replying to them, the .
Using the popular messaging app—‘Line’—the woman could see that her texts were being read via the ‘tick’ notifications—and used this as evidence before a judge.
The wife—known only by the surname Lin—also claims her spouse was ignoring some pretty significant communication—including one text letting him know that she was in the hospital emergency room.
"Now internet communication is very common, so these can be used as evidence. In the past, we needed written hard copy evidence," the judge told media.
The BBC reports that the husband eventually sent a brief response—a few months after the incident—but only to let her know she had received mail and to discuss a matter pertaining to their dog.
"The defendant did not inquire about the plaintiff, and the information sent by the plaintiff was read but not replied to," the court ruling .
"The couple's marriage is beyond repair."
Judge Kao—from the Hsinchu district family affairs court—told media: “a normal couple shouldn’t treat each other like that”.
“The Line messages were a very important piece of evidence. It shows the overall state of the marriage…that the two parties don't have good communication.
"Now internet communication is very common, so these can be used as evidence. In the past, we needed written hard copy evidence," she said.
Judge Kao added that there were other problems in the marriage—after moving in with her husband’s family, Ms Lin began paying for all of their expenses. The family were unkind to her, dictating the length and temperature of her showers.
Mr Lin has the opportunity to appeal the ruling. However, he has not shown up to the hearing or replied to any correspondence.
