A Beijing court on Sunday granted a divorce to American Kim Lee and Li Yang, the Chinese who won fame for his "Crazy English" language-learning method, on the grounds of domestic abuse.
The court also approved Lee's application for a three-month restraining order, according to sources with the Beijing Chaoyang District Court.
Li was warned not to beat or threaten Lee, otherwise he will receive punishments or criminal liability. The ruling validity will last three months.
Li was ordered to pay his former wife 50,000 yuan (about 8,030 U.S. dollars) in compensation for her psychological traumas, confirmed to be results of his domestic violence toward her.
The court also ruled that Lee should retain custody of the couple's three daughters, and that Li should make an annual child support payment of 100,000 yuan to each of their daughters before each turns 18.
The court judged that Li will keep the property registered in his name, the stock rights and the registered trademark of his company, while he should pay Lee a one-off sum of 12 million yuan in consideration of the property the couple shared.
Lee said she was satisfied with the sentence.
Li did not appear in court for sentencing and his attorney said that he will liaise with his client about whether to appeal.
The closely watched case was first exposed by Lee in August 2011. She posted pictures of her injuries at Li's hands on the Internet, accusing Li of abusing her several times.
Kim Lee was soon taken as the folk hero of China's battered wives.
A week later, Li apologized for beating his wife after the case triggered a wave of condemnation online.
Li is known for creating the concept of "Crazy English," a method of shouting to memorize and practice the language.
He has been successful since starting his English-teaching business in China in the early 1990s.
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