>>11089850 (pb)
"Recently, a judge in North Carolina awarded a $750,000 judgment to a man that sued the “homewrecker” of his marriage. Here is a link. While the case is borderline ridiculous, it actually highlights a broader issue in civil litigation about interference with civil contracts:
"The “Homewrecker” Case
"Kevin Howard and his wife were married for 12 years. She began cheating on him with a co-worker, Greg Jernigan. Howard's wife apparently confessed to the affair. Howard was upset, so he divorced his wife and sued Jernigan for causing the divorce.
"North Carolina is a rare state with a “homewrecker” law, which is formally called “alienation of affection”. The law is aimed at keeping marriages together and preventing marital affairs. But oddly, the homewrecker law does not require a sexual relationship with the third person. It could be any third person that takes an action to drive the spouses apart.
Mother-in-laws BEWARE!
"To win his homewrecker claim in North Carolina, Howard had to prove:
– he was married and there was genuine love and affection,
– the love and affection was alienated and destroyed, and
– that the wrongful and malicious acts of the defendant produced and brought about the loss and alienation."
Litchfield v. Cox, 146 S.E.2d 641, 641 (N.C. 1966)."
https://www.jensenlawmn.com/jensenlawmn.com/blog-homewrecker-contract-interference
This crazy use of the courts would only make sense if the target spouse was very wealthy. The plaintiff spouse would be able to sue the third party in an action separate from any divorce proceedings. The separate action could be used to as pressure in obtaining a large divorce settlement.