TOKYO (TR9 – The Tokyo District Court has ordered a married man to pay over 4.6 million yen in damages for deceiving a woman into a relationship by claiming he was single, a lie that ultimately led to her pregnancy and childbirth, reports Nippon News Network (June 23).
The lawsuit was filed by a woman in her 30s and her parents, who originally sought upwards of 19 million yen in compensation over the “bachelor fraud” dispute.
According to the court, the defendant, who already had a wife and children, falsely claimed he was a divorcee to court the woman. The pair dated for approximately two years.
In its ruling on Tuesday, the court recognized that a valid de facto engagement existed between the couple. The judge noted that “from the very beginning of the relationship, the couple pursued fertility treatments on the premise of marriage,” and that the man had actively participated in gatherings with the woman’s family.
However, the illusion shattered shortly after the woman discovered she was pregnant, when it finally came to light that her partner was legally married to someone else.
“The engagement was broken off without justifiable reason, and the magnitude of her mental anguish is immeasurable,” the court stated, handing down the order for the man to pay over 4.6 million yen in consolation money and damages.
Following the verdict, the victim expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.
“I am relieved,” the woman said in a statement. “I hope this reduces the number of men who do this sort of thing, even by just one.”
