The judge ruled that the ignored messages were a symptom of the issues with the relationship. Photo / Getty
The judge ruled that the ignored messages were a symptom of the issues with the relationship. Photo / Getty
A Taiwanese woman was granted a divorce after the 'blue ticks' on a messaging app showed her husband had read her messages but not replied.
The term 'blue-ticking' was made famous by WhatsApp and Line messaging apps, which notify you when someone has seen your text.
Judge Kao ruled thesix months of unanswered Line messages, including one when she was admitted to hospital following a car accident, was proof their marriage was beyond repair, the Daily Mail reports.
On one occasion the woman, known only as Ms Lin, told her husband she was in the emergency room and asked why he was not replying, Hsinchu family affairs court heard.
'The defendant did not inquire about the plaintiff, and the information sent by the plaintiff was read but not replied to,' the court ruling said. 'The couple's marriage is beyond repair.'
Judge Kao said the unanswered messages were 'the last straw' in an otherwise troubled marriage.
The court heard how the defendant's family was 'unfriendly' towards Ms Lin after she moved into a home with his mother, younger brother and sister-in-law.
She is said to have covered most of the family's bills and expenses because her husband did not have a regular income, while his family restricted how long she could shower for.
Ms Lin said: 'A normal couple shouldn't treat each other like that... The Line messages were a very important piece of evidence.
'It shows the overall state of the marriage... that the two parties don't have good communication,' she said.
Lin's husband, who is yet to show up for a court hearing, can file an appeal.
