Li Yang, founder of the Crazy English education company, has lodged a legal challenge to his divorce settlement, accusing his ex-wife of domestic abuse.

The appeal was submitted to the Chaoyang District People's Court in Beijing on Monday prior to the expiration of his appeal period on Tuesday.

Disagreeing with the domestic abuse charge and with the compensation awarded his ex-wife by judges at the beginning of February, he also asked for custody of the couple's three daughters and hoped the higher court would distribute the properties in line with the law.

On Feb 3, the court granted a divorce to Li and Kim Lee, a United States citizen, on the grounds of domestic violence and awarded custody of their children to Lee.

After the verdict, Li's attorney said Li accepted and agreed to give compensation of more than 12 million yuan ($1.9 million) to his ex-wife.

Shi Yan, a legal worker at the court in Chaoyang, confirmed Li's latest appeal and said the case will be handed to the capital's No 2 intermediate court after Li pays fees.

China Daily was unable to reach Li or his attorney for comment on Wednesday.

However, in the documents, Li said Lee has had no stable income for a long time and cannot afford the children's school fees in China. He also said Lee's three failed marriages would not set a good example for raising their three daughters and that he hopes the higher court would determine whether she has mental problems or not.

Meanwhile, Li said that Lee's request for 100,000 yuan in child support annually per daughter was without legal grounds, according to the document.

In addition, Li claimed he was also the victim of domestic abuse during their marriage, saying Lee once shouted at him for several hours, deleted his materials from computers and locked him outside the home, the document added.

Lee said she was somewhat surprised about the appeal when contacted on Wednesday but had a "positive attitude" if the intermediate court accepts the appeal.

Lee's lawyer Qi Lianfeng said he predicts the higher court will not accept Li's claims.

During the divorce hearings, he said, Li admitted working more than 15 hours a day and he is always on business trips. "He has not enough time to look after his children," Qi said, adding that was why the judges in Chaoyang court gave custody of the three daughters to his client.

As for the previous claim that Lee caused domestic violence, the lawyer thought it ridiculous and said Li never provided evidence in the previous four trials, adding it is most likely that the higher court will keep the verdict given by Chaoyang judges.

Ren Xiaolan, a deputy director at the Law School of Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, said it is every citizen's right to appeal to the higher courts if they do not think the verdict fair.

"But Li must provide enough and strong new evidence to the intermediate court, or else the verdict will be hard to change," she added.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/21/2013 page3)