Owner of closed Tong Chiang Claypot Restaurant claims family deprived him of $700k

The founder of now closed Tong Chiang Claypot Restaurant claimed that after a failed operation robbed him of his mobility 13 years ago, he was abandoned by his family.

Hou Youhua, 78, the founder of the once famous Tong Chiang Claypot Restaurant, which was shut down in 2012, also accused his wife and second son of taking $700,000 and a three-room flat from him.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, Mr Hou and his wife, 75, had filed for divorce, and the procedure was approved by the Family Justice Courts on Sept 30, 2016. 

The two wedded in 1964 and had three children.

Court documents revealed that Mr Hou had undergone an operation due to a spine problem, but the procedure ultimately failed, leading to the paralysis in his legs.

He reportedly also has problems controlling his bladder.

Mr Hou claimed that he and his wife slept in separate rooms after his operation, and would quarrel over trivial matters.

Eventually, the two grew distant, and his wife left their home in April 2016, taking with her the bank account details.

Hou claimed that she also stopped him from collecting investment dividends, his main source of income now.

He said that he had forked out most of the money for a three-room flat they had bought, and asked for his rightful share of the two’s joint real-estate investments, living expenses, and business shares.

The sum amounted to $700,000, while the flat is estimated to cost $320,000. 

Mr Hou's second son controls 50 per cent of the company’s shares, while he and his wife both control 25 per cent each.

However, Mr Hou said that he had registered his shares under his wife’s name, and the 25 per cent is rightfully his.