Court Awards NC Man $750K In Lawsuit Against Wife’s Lover

NORTH CAROLINA — In North Carolina, cheating with someone who is already married can be a costly proposition. That’s what the accused lover of a now-divorced woman found out the hard way recently when a North Carolina court said he owes her jilted husband $750,000 for “alienation of affection.”

Pitt County resident Kevin Howard sued his ex-wife’s lover for compensation for the end of their marriage, saying he made the decision to sue because he believes in the sanctity of marriage.

“Other families should see what the consequences are to not only breaking the vow to whatever religion you subscribe to, but also your legal responsibilities,” Howard told CNN.

Howard told CNN he and his wife were married for 12 years when she suddenly asked for a divorce. He hired a private investigator, who discovered she was having an affair with her coworker, who he also socialized with.

“He was a colleague of hers from work,” Howard told CNN. “He ate dinner with us several times, we spent time together ... I thought this was a friend.”

North Carolina is one of only six states in the country that still allows lawsuits based upon claims of alienation of affection, according to the News & Observer. Payouts in past cases in the state, however, have been much higher. In 2001, a wrestling coach at Davidson College was awarded $1.4 million from his ex-wife’s lover. Last year, a Durham County man was awarded $8.8 million from his ex-wife’s paramour, the Charlotte Observer said.

According to Howard’s attorney, Cindy Mills, the defendant in the case initially didn’t take the lawsuit seriously, laughing when they brought the case, the newspaper reported.

“I said, ‘Do you find something funny about this process?’” Mills said, according to the Charlotte Observer. “That’s very dangerous perception to have because the same person who laughed in that deposition, that defendant, now has a $750,000 judgment against them, so I don’t think he’s laughing now.”

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