A marriage of nearly 17 years, and two children ages 16 and 14, weren’t enough to deter a woman from having an affair with a secret lover. But once her husband found out, he decided to take legal action.
The Riverton man claims that the defendant, his wife’s illicit lover, did willfully and with intent lead to the destruction of the man’s family with his secretive acts. The affair went on from 2010 through 2011, eventually leading to the woman abandoning her husband and two children, Utah residents, to live with her lover in Idaho.
It may seem strange to hear of a lawsuit such as this, but Utah is actually only one of seven states that allow court claims of “alienation of affection.” The others are Mississippi, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Carolina, and Illinois. But alienation of affection is not the man’s only claim.
The scorned husband reports that he was entitled, within the marriage, to love, comfort, shared income, companionship, and services. He has filed claims for intentional affliction of emotional distress and punitive damages, for a total suit of $1.5 million.
But is it only about the money and revenge? It might appear so at the surface. But the lawsuit also states, “The defendant’s conduct is reprehensible, not acceptable by any standards in this community and should be made an example of.” Could this be the inspiration for similar suits in the years to come?
For more information about this story, see the KSL story here.