Starbucks rent caught in Taipei inheritance dispute

A complex inheritance dispute involving the estate of the late NOVA founder, Zhong Qiongmeng, has drawn a Starbucks location into a legal battle over rental payments. The conflict centers on the ownership of properties in Taipei’s Taipei Main Station commercial area, valued at approximately 250 million TWD.

According to court records, Liu Yi, the widow of Zhong Qiongmeng, allegedly used a forged U.S. passport to claim inheritance of the properties in 2021. This led to a period where Starbucks, which pays monthly rent between 360,000 and 470,000 TWD, was paying rent to Liu and her son, Zhong Lin-yu, instead of the rightful heirs.

Following an investigation by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, Liu was disqualified as an heir. The dispute has since shifted to the rightful heirs, Zhong Lin-peng and Zhong Lin-yu, who are now splitting the rent. In April, the Taipei District Court ordered Liu and her son to pay back approximately 3.2 million TWD in unpaid rent to Zhong Lin-peng. The family remains embroiled in at least eight different lawsuits regarding the estate and management by the family business, Jianheng Enterprise Co., Ltd.