News

Mother & Daughter Sued by Younger Siblings Over S$4.08 Million Inheritance

2023-05-12 , 5:50 pm

There’s been another family drama over money again—this time, it involves $4.08 million.

Mediacorp should really get in on these as storylines for their Channel 8 dramas.

S$4.08 Million Inheritance Suit Involving A Mother and Four Children

Why spend money on a Netflix subscription when you can get an equally thrilling show from real-life family dramas?

Qiu Biyan (hanyu pinyin), together with her mother Huang Yulin (hanyu pinyin), found themselves in a legal mess after being sued by her younger siblings over a $4.08 million inheritance.

I know… While all some of us are inheriting is family trauma, others are inheriting millions.

The legal drama started with a doctor—the late Dr Qiu Wenwei (hanyu pinyin).

Dr Qiu had four children with his wife, Huang Yulin—specifically, three daughters and a son.

It starts with fighting over who gets the last piece of fried chicken when you’re young, but the fight always becomes one over inheritance money when you’re older.

According to Shin Min Daily News, Dr Qiu had left $4.08 million in a joint account belonging to his wife, Huang Yulin, and his eldest daughter, Qiu Biyan. Qiu Biyan is the wife of Tan Jee Say, founder of the now-defunct political party Singaporeans First.

While this arrangement is pretty shiok for the mother-daughter pair, it’s not so much for the younger siblings, who claimed to be blindsided by this arrangement.

As such, the two younger daughters, Qiu Biying (hanyu pinyin) and Qiu Bilian (hanyu pinyin), decided to sue the mother-daughter pair over the $4.08 million inheritance—getting bank by breaking the bank.

Dr Qiu’s Assets Initially Distributed Equally to All Four Children

However, if there’s one thing you should know, Dr Qiu was a fair man.

When Dr Qiu first made his will in August 2012, his assets were distributed equally to all four children, including the $4.08 million currently in dispute. His three daughters were also appointed as the executors and trustees of his estate.

Unfortunately, things changed slightly after Dr Qiu was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2019.

He made an appendix to his will, making his eldest and youngest daughters the executor and trustees of his estate. He also added a clause conferring an $80,000 cash gift exclusively to his wife.

Regardless, his four children remained his beneficiaries, meaning they’d still get their inheritance.

Younger Siblings Apparently Blindsided By Dr Qiu’s Decision to Make Mother-Daughter Pair Joint Account Holders

Yet, things are never that straightforward.

After Dr Qiu’s passing in January 2021, the younger siblings claimed that Dr Qiu had blindsided them—he added the mother-daughter pair’s names as joint holders of his $4.08 million account without informing the younger siblings.

That’s $4.08 million conferred to the mother-daughter pair without the younger siblings’ knowledge.

However, the eldest daughter Huang Biyan claims that this $4.08 million was gifted by Dr Qiu to her and her mother. Therefore, this sum is not part of Dr Qiu’s estate, and the younger siblings have no right to it.

Blood runs thicker than water, but you know what else runs thicker than blood? Well, this case (and many other such cases) speaks for itself.

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Further, the younger siblings have repeatedly requested the mother-daughter pair to return the sums rightfully belonging to the younger siblings.

Think your “situationship” is a brick wall? Just wait till you see this mother-daughter pair—all such requests from the younger siblings were ignored.

High Court Holds that the $4.08 Million in Dispute is Included in Dr Qiu’s Estate

The mother-daughter pair claimed that Dr Qiu naturally intended to give the $4.08 million to them since the mother-daughter pair would inherit Dr Qiu’s $4.08 million account after his passing.

However, to the mother-daughter pair’s dismay, the High Court has since held that the $4.08 million does not belong exclusively to them.

Instead, the sum will be included in Dr Qiu’s estate, meaning the appropriate sums must be distributed to the younger siblings.

Sue Until Your Pants Drop: The True Singaporean Tale

With how much Singaporeans love to sue each other, the entire Singapore legal system should be included in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. This isn’t the first family drama concerning money that’s been reported in recent months.

Last week, the courts dismissed a woman’s attempt to sue her ex-husband’s family members for the rights to an HDB flat as well as the profits of a shophouse.

Last month, we also saw a $9.3 million claim by a 68-year-old against his younger brother. This involved a bungalow left behind by their father.

Chill lah guys, you are all Papa’s favourite child, okay?

At this rate, we might as well include “Sue until your pants drop” as part of Singapore’s shared values.