Crazy Li fights divorce ruling

Crazy English founder Li Yang filed an appeal Monday over his high-profile divorce suit with his American ex-wife Kim Lee, in which he claims he was also domestically abused, a court official told the Global Times Wednesday.

Shi Yan, media officer with Chaoyang district court, said that Li submitted the appeal Monday, the last day he could file an appeal.

"So far we haven't received Li's money for the appeal. Some procedures like a reply from Lee also have to happen before the appeal can be accepted by a higher court," said Shi.

The divorce between the couple was finalized on February 3, after the court heard evidence from both parties in four prior hearings. Lee first filed for divorce in November 2011 following accusations that her ex-husband had abused her in September 2011.

The court awarded full custody of the couple's three daughters and 1.2 million yuan ($192,360) in property division. The court also ordered that Li should pay 100,000 yuan per child annually until they reach 18, and ruled Li had abused his wife and asked him to pay Lee 50,000 yuan in compensation.

In Li's appeal, he has asked for custody of the three children and a new division of property. He went on to accuse Lee of abusing him, rather than the other way round, and claimed she has violent tendencies and frequently abused him for hours.

"Sometimes Lee also attacked me; she locked me outside which left me no home to go to. She deleted the record of my books and articles on the computer and threw my books and materials into the pool. Lee once threw dishes at me when I was giving a speech," wrote Li.

Qi Lianfeng, Lee's lawyer, said Li made similar allegations in court, but could not substantiate them.

"I felt astonished to hear of Li's appeal. Kim also felt it's hard to accept. She thinks Li is trying to delay the judgment," said Qi.

Qi said he does not believe the court will change its original ruling.

On Tuesday, Lee wrote on her Sina microblog "When a snake bites, stay calm and try to suck out the poison. If a person strikes you with venomous words, do the same!" She did not however refer directly to Li's appeal.

Shi Ziyue, Li's lawyer, said that he only found out about the appeal on Tuesday when the court asked him to look at the appeal paperwork.

He said he thinks the appeal was triggered by the court ruling that Li had domestically abused Lee.

"Li has made a compromise with Kim, especially in the property division. But this result makes him feel uncomfortable," said Shi.

Even though Li had agreed to the 1.2 million yuan property division, he now says that he wants the division to only date back to July 7, 2010 when they registered to marry in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

Li said his previous wedding with Lee in 2005 in Las Vegas, US, is not valid. As for the custody, Li said that his ex-wife has no permanent income and cannot afford the expensive education fees for the children.

He alleged that Lee had been married three times unsuccessfully, which makes her ability to raise children doubtful.

Li has been married before, but was not officially divorced until after the US wedding, leaving him open to allegations of bigamy.

Information about Lee's marital history could not be confirmed.

"I can give Kim Lee the right to see her daughters and meet with them," wrote Li. "There is no evidence to support the previous child custody judgment."

Lü Xiaoquan, a lawyer with the Women's Legal Research and Service Center, said that if Li accused Lee of domestic violence, he needs to provide evidence. "If he can't provide evidence, Kim can sue him for harming her reputation," said Lü.

According to Lü, the fundamental rule for a judgment on child custody is that it must be beneficial for the children.

"Li has committed domestic violence. Besides, he has openly said his children are for a 'cultural experiment.' Such a father is bad for the healthy development of children," Lü noted.