In a recent landmark decision, the Malaysia Court of Appeal ruled that women have rights and should not be treated as chattel (all women had previously been treated as chattel following an English case law from 1858). The appeal was brought by a babysitter, Heng Gek Kiau, who had been ordered by the High Court to transfer a single story semi-detached house (where she resided) over to her wealthy Singaporean lover, Goh Koon Suan, after he claimed said house as his property and said his mistress (Kiau) only held it in trust for him. She refused and appealed the case. The appellate decision is groundbreaking in that it ordered Goh Suan to deed the house over to Heng, thus, giving a mistress rights for the first time. Suan claimed that he bought the house for his mistress to live in, but she said that she maintained and paid for all the utilities, rent and assessments.
Source: http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/content/view/9369/2/