A woman from Shanghai, in eastern China, filed a lawsuit against her own son, claiming more than 360,000 yuan, equivalent to about 54 thousand dollars, for her contribution over the years to raising her granddaughter. The woman, identified as Xu, is about 60 years old and sued her son, whose surname is Liang.
In April 2026, the People's Court of Songjiang district in Shanghai revealed the details of the lawsuit, which had been filed in December 2025. Liang's daughter was born in 2010 and, after his divorce in 2014, when the girl was only four years old, Xu took on the role of primary caregiver of the child. The lawsuit arises in a context of growing debate in China about the limits of family obligations and the recognition of unpaid work by grandparents in raising grandchildren.
