Court redefines debt in divorces

For years, debt has been jointly paid off by divorcing couples regardless of who accrued it. Now, the top court has said husbands and wives should not have to pay for their partner's excesses.

The Supreme People's Court issued a judicial interpretation on the Marriage Law on Wednesday, clarifying the division of debt.

"In the past, many people were forced to pay off their spousal debt that was borrowed without their knowledge, which sounds unfair," said Xia Yinlan, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law. "It was also hard for those without any idea about the debt to prove they knew nothing about the loan."