A multimillion-dollar breakup involving cryptocurrency billionaire Justin Sun and Chinese actress Jing Tian is getting plenty of attention online.
Sun is suing Jing and her parents in an attempt to recover 30 million yuan, roughly $4.5 million, that he says he gave her family while the couple was discussing marriage.
The payment was described as caili, commonly known as a bride price or betrothal gift. The tradition exists in parts of China, where a groom or his family may give money or gifts to the bride’s family before marriage. The practice and amounts vary widely and are not followed by every Chinese family.
Sun’s attorney has confirmed that a Chinese court accepted the lawsuit.
But things get much messier from there.
Sun publicly claimed that while they were discussing plans to have a child, the other side demanded an additional $50 million connected to a surrogacy plan in the United States. He says he refused, their relationship fell apart and he decided to seek the return of the original marriage payment.
That $50 million allegation is Sun’s account and has not been independently established. Adding even more confusion, Sun labeled his lengthy online account of their relationship as “fictional,” even though his attorney says the lawsuit over the money is real.
Jing responded online by saying she had shown poor judgment in men and would “never sell love for money,” while indicating that she would let the legal process handle the dispute.
He may be a billionaire, but apparently even Justin Sun wants his breakup money back.