American Court Orders Japanese Ex-Wife to Pay $6.1 Million to Christopher Savoie
Back in 2009, the American media made a huge deal out of the case of Christopher Savoie, an “American” man whose Japanese wife “kidnapped” their children and brought them to Japan in violation of an American court order. When Savoie went to Japan and tried to reclaim his children by force, he was arrested. The Savoie case was presented as a case of an American trying to rescue his American children from an unjust country that had refused to sign the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
American media reports often left out important details of the Savoie case, such as the fact that he was a Japanese citizen (who was technically required to renounce his American citizenship when he naturalized). The fact that his children had spent most of their lives in Japan and the fact that he filed for divorce shortly after his Japanese wife and children arrived in the United States were downplayed or simply not reported. Savoie’s new wife, with whom he had an affair before divorcing his Japanese wife, was given free reign to appear on CNN and slander the Savoie’s Japanese ex-wife. It was a very ugly spectacle.
Savoie was released soon after his arrest and allowed to return to America. He continued to campaign for the return of his children, and the American media continued to print stories that were sympathetic to his cause.
Now, there is a new development in his case. It seems that he filed a court case in America, demanding that his Japanese ex-wife pay damages. He won the case:
A judge has awarded a Tennessee man $6.1 million from his ex-wife who took their two children to Japan and never returned.
It remains unclear whether Christopher Savoie will ever actually get the money on behalf of his children, 10-year-old Isaac and 8-year-old Rebecca.
Savoie, who was quite wealthy as the founder CEO of a bio tech firm, had paid $800,000 to his ex-wife as part of their American divorce. Beyond that amount, it’s highly unlikely that she has much money to pay the damages that the court has ordered.
A couple weeks ago, Japan announced that it will be joining the Hague Convention. Since Savoie’s ex-wife had brought her children back to Japan in defiance of an American court order, it seems that Savoie will have the advantage under the Convention, so he might be able to take the children “back” to their “home” in the United States. The settlement of financial damages, however, may be another matter.
Update: I must make a correction. Someone has pointed out to me that the Hague Convention is not retroactive, so it could not apply to the Savoie case.
As the Hague Convention can provide no help to Savoie, he will be using this latest court order as an alternative method. According to a local news source in Tennessee, an American court ruling regarding the “breaching their custody contract and infliction of emotional distress” could have authority in Japan:
“The main purpose is so that we can obtain orders that can be actually enforced in Japan. They will only enforce orders that award money damages for breach of contract, money damages for committing civil wrongs,” said Christopher Savoie’s attorney, Joseph Woodruff.
If that’s true, Savoie might be using this to force his ex-wife to give up custody of the children. If she refuses, she would probably be forced into bankruptcy, since she obviously does not have 6 million dollars. Savoie is sending her a message: “Give back the kids, I don’t bankrupt you.”
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