I'm back in 1990

Chapter 1131: Requesting a Temporary Injunction

While Huang Xiaochuan was playing on the Great Barrier Reef,

Attorney Marcus Gray of the law firm Black Dawson discovered Chen Qiao's financial situation.

On the morning of July 29th, Chen Zhe received a call from lawyer Marcus Gray, who said that there was a major discovery and arranged to meet with him at the law firm.

At 2 p.m., Chen Zhe arrived on time at the Blake Dawson law firm located in Martin Place, Sydney.

Attorney Gray gave him a warm welcome.

"Mr. Chen, please have a seat!" Attorney Gray gestured for Chen Zhe to sit down opposite him at his desk, and then he opened the thick folder on the desk.

"Mr. Chen, we have obtained preliminary findings regarding the financial situation of your ex-wife, Ms. Alicia Jon."

Chen Zhe sat up straight: "Did you find anything?"

Gray took a printed copy of the bank statement from the folder and placed it in front of Chen Zhe.

"Over the past five years, Ms. Jon has engaged in a series of high-risk investment activities, primarily focused on Australian dollar forex margin trading and cryptocurrency investment."

As Gray explained, he circled several key data points in the transaction record.

"Based on professional calculations, we estimate that Ms. Jon lost approximately 470,000 Australian dollars."

Chen Zhe frowned. Xiao Chuan was right. That woman really did make reckless investments and lost so much money.

He was furious and asked again, "Four hundred and seventy thousand?"

"Yes, and this is just a paper loss, not including the loans she took out to cover the margin shortfall."

Gray flipped through a few more pages of documents and said, "She currently has three outstanding personal loans, one from Westpac Bank and one from two microfinance companies, with a total debt of approximately 126,000 Australian dollars. In addition, she has a credit card with a debt of 12,000 Australian dollars."

Chen Zhe remained silent after hearing this.

Since his financial situation improved, he has consistently given Chen Qiao 10,000 Australian dollars in child support every month, plus 40,000 Australian dollars in education funds every year. Over five years, the child support alone amounted to 600,000 Australian dollars, and the education funds amounted to 200,000 Australian dollars. This does not include the house Chen Qiao currently lives in and the annual property tax.

This money is enough for Chen Wuhen to attend the best private school in Sydney, and even hire a private tutor.

But Chen Qiao lost all that money and ended up with a huge debt. It was unbelievable. Chen Zhe was speechless.

Gray continued, "We also looked into Somnash High School, where Thomas is currently studying. It's ranked in the lower-middle range among all public schools in Sydney, and the annual tuition is only a few thousand Australian dollars, while the top private schools in Sydney generally charge between thirty and forty thousand Australian dollars."

Mr. Chen, based on the evidence you provided, the monthly child support and education funds you pay are sufficient to cover Thomas's entire expenses at private school. However, Ms. Jon clearly did not use this money for the child's education, but rather misappropriated it for other purposes, resulting in a huge loss.

After listening, Chen Zhe asked, "How effective will this evidence be in court?"

Gray looked at Chen Zhe very seriously: "It has a very important effect. According to Section 60 of the Australian Family Law, when deciding on guardianship, the court must take into account whether the parents can provide appropriate educational conditions for their children as an important factor. Ms. Jon's behavior has constituted misappropriation of child support, which directly harms Thomas's educational rights."

He then pulled out another document from the folder: "In addition, one of our law firm's forensic accountants analyzed Ms. Jon's income and expenses, and the conclusion was clear: her personal consumption over the past five years, including the purchase of luxury goods, beauty care, and vacation travel, accounted for a large portion of her total expenditures, while Thomas's education expenses were almost negligible in comparison."

Chen Zhe looked at the analysis report in Gray's hand and felt a tightness in his chest.

Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci... these brands frequently appeared in the report in Gray's hands, along with spending records from several high-end beauty salons in Sydney, as well as vacation spending records from two trips to the Gold Coast and one trip to the South Island of New Zealand.

He thought the education funds he had given her were all squandered and lost by Chen Qiao. This woman is unbelievable. How could she have become like this?

After a long pause, Chen Zhe asked in a hoarse voice, "Attorney Gray, I have a question."

"Mr. Chen, please speak."

"If we win the lawsuit, can we demand that Chen Qiao compensate us for the child support and education funds she misappropriated?"

Gray shook his head: "I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, it's very difficult to trace the use of child support for compensation under the law. The family court's focus is not on recovering your losses, but on determining what arrangement is in the best interests of the child. However, given Ms. Jon's financial misconduct, she will lose a lot of credit points in court."

In other words, the judge would consider her lack of judgment in financial management, which would be a negative factor in her eligibility as a guardian.

Chen Zhe nodded, feeling much more confident.

"There's one more thing." Gray pulled a piece of paper from the back of the folder: "We also looked into the financial situation of Ms. Jon's current husband, Mr. Jon Sr. He's a retired mechanical engineer who receives about three thousand one hundred Australian dollars a month in pension, but he also owns an apartment with an outstanding mortgage."

He looked up at Chen Zhe: "From a financial perspective, the Jon couple's current economic situation is not good. If Thomas continues to live with them, let alone private schools, their basic quality of life may be affected. On the other hand, as a well-known economics professor in China and a senior researcher at a world-renowned think tank, you have a stable high income and a very healthy financial situation. This comparison will be very convincing in court."

After listening, Chen Zhe nodded and then asked, "So what should I do next?"

Gray clenched his fists: "My advice is to immediately file a custody change application with the family court. I will argue that the child support was misappropriated, that the child was unable to provide adequate education, and that the child was poorly managed. I will also emphasize that your financial capabilities and educational background as a father will be more beneficial to Thomas's upbringing."

He added, "Furthermore, I recommend applying for a temporary injunction to prevent Ms. Jon from taking Thomas out of Australia during the trial, in order to prevent her from doing anything unexpected."

Chen Zhe nodded in agreement: "Okay, we'll do it your way."

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