A North Carolina man was awarded $750,000 in damages against the man he accused of ruining his marriage. Kevin Howard filed the lawsuit under an obscure law that dates back to the 1800s which allows a spouse to sue another person for "purposefully interfering with the marital relationship." North Carolina is one of seven states that still have an "Alienation of Affection" law on the books.
Howard's wife told him she wanted a divorce and the two started attending marriage counseling in an attempt to save their marriage. Howard felt something wasn't right during the sessions, so he hired a private investigator who discovered that his wife was cheating on him with another man.
"She had originally told me that she wanted a divorce because I work too much, wasn't around to be there, and I worked too much. I talked about that as part of my mistake in the situation, but it was like a punch in the gut because I thought I had this trust for 12 years and love," Howard told WITN.
It is unlikely that Howard will receive the full sum of money, but he isn't bothered by that because his lawsuit was about more than just the money.
"I filed the case because I feel that it's very important that people understand that the sanctity of marriage is important especially in this day and age when people question everyone's morals, people question everyone's liability of a person and the state-backed me up on it."